Picture this: It’s another Friday football game under the Grady Stadium lights. Per the usual, spirit leaders within the North Atlanta student section have gone all out to support the football team. Loud voices cheer and colorful banners wave in the early fall wind. There is nothing quite like being in the noisy crowd and yelling for your team. But if the yelling seems even a little bit louder this year in the Warrzone — or maybe more choreographed — you can probably thank North Atlanta’s Spirit Club. The Spirit Club, sponsored by Coach Andre Regan, is all about maximizing Dub Spirit at our school.

For anyone looking to catch a behind-the-scenes glimpse at all the hard work that goes into preparing for major athletic events, the Spirit Club has plenty to offer.  Much of the crazy signs and painted windows that appear in the days leading up to football games have been created by active student members, and senior Addie Derrick is one of the leading forces behind it. “We decide the themes, paint banners, and most importantly: get the word out,” Derrick said.

Other Spirit Club leaders are senior Drew Sheldon and junior Chloe Van Nort.

In advance of the season opening game against Grady High School, club members had the school covered with signs that read “Beat Grady!” and “Knighty Knight Grady!” As always, the effort is made to boost school-wide spirit and encourage higher attendance at football games. Even though the North Atlanta football team has quite a few fans, it is hard to fill a huge stadium with cheers of support when only a fraction of the student body shows up on Friday nights. Derrick and her team of peppy peers work to change this. Game themes so far have been “whiteout” plus a “fire” theme. The club has even more theme fun coming with “neon night,” “island luau,” breast cancer awareness in October, and — wait for it — “toga! toga!”

For students wanting to support North Atlanta teams and bring some enthusiasm to the games, Spirit Club is a welcome opportunity. Van Nort said she always makes it her business to exude Warrior pride to the extreme. “They always say there’s no school spirit here,” she said. “We’ll we’re certainly here to counter that notion. And while we’re doing what we do, there’s also plenty of fun to be had. And we’re having it.”

At the next football game, take a look around the student section to appreciate the extra effort that the Spirit Club has put in to make these events more special. With the help of this group, North Atlanta students are able to enjoy Friday night lights with an extra helping of school spirit. For more information about this club, visit its Instagram, @nahs.warrzone.