The hype of Star Wars: The Force Awakens has hit the student body of Fresno Christian. To celebrate the movie premiering at the end of the week, a campus wide movie marathon of all three movies is being held after school this week in room 502.

Monday, Dec. 14, Episode 4 “A New Hope.” Dec. 15, “The Empire Strikes Back” will be shown and on Dec. 16, “Return of the Jedi” will be shown.

Showtimes begin at 3:15. Costumes are encouraged.

English and Drama teacher, Kyle Dodson, gathered with Robert Hyatt and Jonathan Broersma and together they came up with the idea. He hopes that the marathon will reach out to students who have not felt welcomed by other campus events.

“It gives you an opportunity to experience something new at Fresno Christian that I don’t think our school has necessarily featured before,” Dodson said. “To have an event such as this is something where maybe a specific type of student didn’t feel connected to the campus can feel at home by being able to take part in watching Star Wars.”

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Juliana Lozano , ’18, looks forward to the idea of collectively gathering to enjoy the Star Wars movies. It sparked old memories for her that she wishes to share with people who have similar interests.

“I’m going to bond with friends and to re-watch something that was nostalgic for me,” Lozano said. “I thought it was such a lovely idea to have a few days where a lot of the people who appreciate the same things come together to just hang out.”

As the premier of Star Wars: The Force Awakens approaches, Bailey Brogan, ’16, plans to stay awake into the late hours of the night to watch the movie.

“I want to be one of the first people to watch the new Star Wars movie,” Brogan said. “I loved the whole saga, so naturally I want to see the newest film. If people haven’t seen the original movies they should stay after school and watch them. I heard Mr. Hyatt (Robert) wore a Jedi robe and lightsaber one day, so it’s a bit of a party.”

IT director Robert Hyatt was able to watch the sixth movie, Return of the Jedi, with his family during a trip out of the United States.

“I was in Canada with my family when the movie came out in theaters,” Hyatt said. “I grew up watching the earlier ones on VHS tapes so it was a really great opportunity to see the movies on a big screen. I was thrilled. Back in the ’90s, the CGI that was added was groundbreaking. Now that’s kind of cheesy but doesn’t affect my fond memories of them.”

Star Wars: The Force Awakens will premier locally in Fresno at the Edwards Fresno Stadium, the Maya Cinemas, and the Sierra Vista theatre. The 501st Legion charity group who makes screen accurate Star Wars villain costumes will be at the Sierra Vista theatre.

This writer can be reached via Twitter @nhudecek16 or via email at Nicole Hudecek.