No, the faculty will not be suiting up for the football game on Friday; however they will be representing their Jesuit student/athletes during the faculty appreciation game against WT White. Implemented in 2011 during Coach Brandon Hickman’s first season as head coach, the faculty appreciation game has consistently been a success, pleasing both players and teachers.
All day on Friday, the teachers and faculty will roam the halls sporting the football jerseys they have been
given. Some ex-football players like Mr. David Wright use this opportunity to relive their glory days on the gridiron, while other teachers like Ms. Vanessa Jones use it as an opportunity to try to foster an interest in football; but whatever the individual effect, it puts them in the mood to cheer the Rangers on to victory.
After school on Tuesday the varsity team signed up to give their jerseys to a selected faculty member. To ensure that all faculty receive one, the players used one master list to choose from and are each giving out two jerseys. Some of the more clever players even use this power as a negotiating chip for a disputed grade or a stiff deadline.
“It helps build camaraderie between the athletic and academic [portions of the school],” explained Hickman. Teachers who normally do not interact extensively with their football-playing students receive the opportunity to bond over a common interest and develop a more personal relationship. “I like it because it allows us to show our appreciation for all the time and effort they put into teaching us” agreed starting safety, Parker Rice ’14.
Starting wide receiver, Kellen Mcalone ’14 explained his choice, “I’m giving my jerseys to Mr. [Mark] Knize and Mr. [Ben] Kirby because they both have to keep up with the entire student body and they still have time to get to know us by name and to know how our school and social lives are going.”
After school, the faculty will attend the game, still wearing the jerseys and hoping to see their number on the field. A hit every year, the faculty appreciation game is a much anticipated event that brings together the Jesuit community in yet another way.
