GlenOak High School has many fun clubs and activities available to its students. Classes like Band and Drama have several fun aspects that are more than just a grade. Clubs like Speech & Debate have entertaining portions other than going to tournaments.
Other activities and sports each have something that makes them truly unique, but what are they? When first signing up for something, people usually get the basic information of what goes on, however; there are some little things these activities have that are not mentioned in the info packet.
For example, Friday nights in the fall, both students and parents alike arrive at the GlenOak Stadium to enjoy a game of football. While the football team is getting ready for their game, something else is getting ready behind the scenes.
The GlenOak High School Marching Band is putting on their uniforms, assembling their instruments and grabbing a plume as they get ready for their march up to the stadium.
They begin their march at the Stark County Library up to the gates, the percussion section plays a cadence and the band stays in step as they prepare for another Friday night of music.
While the football team does their good luck chant, the band also gives the night a little bit of luck with their own tradition. On their way up to the stadium, they tap the sign near the library with their instrument as they walk by.
“When I first joined the drumline, our seniors led us to do that so it’s sort of been a tradition to do it every time we go past it,” junior Cash Aronhalt said.
It has been around for so long that not even the current seniors know how it started, but the band still does it to this day.
Another classroom ritual can be seen every day in the drama department. Students participate in engaging and fun warmups. This includes stretches and vocal warmups, as well as a game after vocal warmups. They always start with the stretches the most common are leg stretches, arm stretches and back stretches.
After the stretches, they move onto more warmups where they make noises and tongue twisters. Some common tongue twisters they do are:“she sells seashells by the seashore” or “peter piper picked a pack of pickled peppers”.
“We do warm-ups to warm up our bodies and our voices, but especially to be comfortable with our peers,” sophomore Addie Conrad said.“They get us in the mindset to perform.”
With these warm-ups at the start, it helps the drama program perform to the best of its ability.
“Warm-ups help prepare the actor’s mind and body for any scene or character work an actor will be doing the warm-ups impact the class because, how seriously the class takes the warm-ups it often determines how well the performances go that day. The point of warm ups is to encourage focus and create flexibility in an actor’s skills,” performing arts teacher Amy Sima-Dirham said.
Another example of these rituals and traditions of groups could be seen within the GlenOak Speech and Debate Team. They honor the memory of former coach, Nick Bollas by singing the Alma Mater on the bus as they return from a long tournament. As the bus turns onto Schneider, it fills with the sound of students singing.
“This is something I take seriously because I truly believe that one’s legacy should not be diminished,” senior Cory Hillton said.
The singing is an important part of the Speech and Debate season, and pays respects to our dearly departed coach, teacher and friend. He was an important part of Speech and Debate, and he will always be remembered through the tradition.
Switching to an athletic standpoint, the girls’ lacrosse team has its own traditions as well. Lacrosse is a sport where the game starts with a face-off. Players use their lacrosse sticks to carry the ball; they can also pass or shoot the ball. The ball has to stay in motion constantly or it will face a turnover.
But is there anything they do that doesn’t involve basic lacrosse playing? Senior Daisy Theodore explained their own tradition that they celebrate when they win.
“Every time we win a home game, we go circle around the bell and whoever made the winning goal rings the bell,” Theodore said.
A fun tradition, with recognition to those who deserve it for the best part of the night.
Clubs, classes and teams all have something a little extra to the activity; you just need to get involved to know what. Or you just have a news staff member figure it out for you.
