DISCLOSURE: This is an opinion article. Please note that unsigned editorials represent the collective opinion of The Wingspan student news staff and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the adviser or Gretna East High School. Columns represent the opinion of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the adviser, the Wingspan staff or Gretna East High School.
Coming home with the Nebraska Class A State Championship Play Production last month, the school’s one-act team held the trophy high above their heads in celebration. They practiced for months beforehand, rehearsing lines and putting together set pieces until their show was ready to be performed. After all their hard work, they received little praise and recognition before they departed for their competition. When they returned, the only recognition they received was subtle: a congratulatory slide on the large video board in the commons and posters plastered on Nicole Schlautman’s door, but no announcement.
In comparison, in November, the whole school gathered in the commons after seventh hour to celebrate and send the football team off to the state championship game. The team was able to revel in their moment as they walked down the library stairs and paraded to the locker rooms with chants, music and the support of their peers.
As the bell rang to usher students back to class, confused faces and small comments were exchanged among students passing by. One major question passed between students: what about all the other teams that made it to State, like One-Act?
Even with the state send-off being new this year, football has been the only team to be celebrated to that extent. Both the boys’ cross-country team and the one-act team had the opportunity to make an appearance at their state competitions, but no recognition was displayed up front for either team. For a school that talks about school spirit, a collective morale and showing up for your peers, there needs to be a consistent effort to show these values.
“We worked very, very hard at every rehearsal and competition to make it to the State Championship,” one act cast member, senior Jada Randecker, said. “I understand why football is so much more of a big deal to others, but just because one act isn’t a physical sport doesn’t mean it’s any less important or difficult; it just requires a different skill set to be good at it.”
Before this year, when a team went to State, a typical send-off included friends and families drawing on the team members’ cars and then waiting by the bus to cheer as they loaded and drove off. The football send-off marked a visible shift, not in support, but in presentation.
“For football, the send-off happened naturally because the team was leaving during the school day, instead of in the morning like one-act,” Athletic Director Matthew Fritsche said.
When planning the send-off, administration followed the protocol they had in place that says:
A formal Team Send-Off will be implemented for specific state championship competitions.
Eligibility Criterion: The Team Send-Off is reserved for NSAA State Championship events that meet the following conditions:
- The event has reached its final two competing teams (championship game/match), and Gretna East High School is one of the two participants, thereby guaranteeing GEHS a minimum achievement of a State Runner-Up trophy.
- The event requires students to be dismissed early from school on that day.
- Example: Football championship on a Monday
- Nonexample: Basketball championship on a Saturday
Due to the one-act team leaving early before school started, the admin had to come up with something quick to ensure a sense of fairness in acknowledgment. The day before the one act team left for their State Championship competition, Assistant Principal Michael Tomjack made an announcement to each lunch period to recognize the one act team before they left for their competition the next morning. Although this could be a step towards fairness, it’s still not there. At Gretna High, their one act team received a similar send-off that East’s football team received, demonstrating that celebrating the performing arts at the same level is not unrealistic.
And while groups like One Act and Cross Country don’t have playoffs to become one of the final two teams that will face off head-to-head like football and other sports do, they should still be recognized, and if they end up winning a “welcome-back” celebration should be planned like a send off, just after the fact.
“I think it’s important, all these kids work very hard at whatever activity they’re in, and those titles are worthy of recognition, and by announcing it helps connect our school community,” Tomjack said. “We wanted to wish them [the one act members] luck; we did what we could in the moment.”
The football team’s remarkable season and status as Class B State Runner-Ups undeniably deserve celebration. Celebrating that success is not the issue. The concern lies in how recognition is distributed and perceived throughout the school’s activities. When one team receives a school-wide celebration, and others do not, it can unintentionally create the impression that some accomplishments matter more than others, regardless of the admin’s actual intent.
“One thing we’re really focusing on this year is ways we can celebrate our student athletes and participants who have achieved some really great things,” Fritsche said. “We’re trying to figure out how to honor our one-act team, who just came home with a State Championship. As a staff, we’ve talked about going forward, and we have to try to be consistent with every group. We’re trying to find something sustainable and repeatable for students, without missing class time, and navigating that appropriately.”
This isn’t about diminishing football’s success or questioning the administration’s support for student activities throughout East. East has shown consistent pride in programs across the board. However, in a school community, optics matter. To ensure fairness, the admin needs to find something they can replicate time and time again to recognize the teams that have the opportunity to compete in their state competition.
One way they could accomplish this is setting aside time during AEP and gathering all students and teachers for a small send-off in the commons or gymnasium, that or at least, after a group performs well at state, there should be an AEP video or something shown to celebrate and recognize that particular group. By doing so, students wouldn’t miss important lessons or class time. It would provide something administrators could replicate going forward, and ultimately would establish a sense of fairness to all teams and boost our school culture and pride.
Equal achievement deserves equal recognition, not just in words, but in how the student body experiences that recognition. Every student, regardless of their area of excellence, deserves to have their hard work and dedication acknowledged in meaningful ways.
