Nothing else quite encapsulates the high school spirit like cheering on the North Atlanta football team at Henderson stadium, shoulder to shoulder with over a hundred other students dressed head to toe in camo, whiteout, or whatever else the Friday night lights theme may be. What many students don’t realize, however, is that organizing an entire student section to show up in the same theme is no easy task. That’s where North Atlanta’s ‘Warrzone’ comes into play. Warrzone is a student-owned and operated school-wide group chat on the messenger app GroupMe. Every school year, students from the senior class pass down leadership of Warrzone, and the leaders are the ones that choose the themes for each game. This year, the students responsible for our themes this school year are seniors Preston Vassar and Mali Piernik.

In the 2024-2025 school year, Wild West, Whiteout, Camo, Neon, Hawaiian, and Pool Party have been the themes chosen so far. These themes are usually recycled from year to year. The jobs of the Warrzone leaders, who are currently Vassar and Piernik, include deciding on and letting all North Atlanta students know the theme of each game. This is usually done by texting the Warrzone GroupMe which includes over 550 North Atlanta students. “We try to choose a theme that all four grades would enjoy participating in,” said Piernik. “It makes it more fun for people to show up and support our team.” 

Setting a theme for North Atlanta’s Friday Night Football games is a great way to unify North Atlanta students. With so many students, sometimes it can be hard to feel like more than just a face lost in the crowd, but setting a common theme helps break those barriers. Being together with a packed section filled with other people just has a way of connecting and uplifting people. “Having a theme for an entire crowd of students truly brings the energy and the atmosphere to the next level,” said Vassar. “We want to try to get as many students as possible to participate.” 

Next time North Atlanta’s football team plays at home, make sure to stay on the lookout for the student section theme. Whether it’s wearing neon from top to bottom, or showing up decked out in a full western outfit, embracing the school theme is one of the best high school experiences you’ll have.