In order to amplify the energy at sports events, the high school leadership class has decided to assemble Nut Packs for students to purchase and use at games.

These packages provide students with an assortment of spirit gear — megaphone, T-shirt, branded cushions and pom-poms — to boost the volume of cheering supporters.

“A Nut Pack is a spirit pack that comes with all the essentials for being a fun fan,” Robin Whitford, ’98 alumna and leadership advisor, said. “All the students wearing the same T-shirt will make us feel like a force!”

The Nut Packs cost $15 and can be purchased at any time in the high school office.

A pre-sale special was offered that included more spirit items, but Nut Packs with fewer products are still available. Students who purchased a Nut Pack in the pre-sale will receive theirs at the campus rally before the first football game, Sept. 11.

“By having the same shirt, I think it will unify the student body as one unit cheering for a common goal, despite age and grade differences,” Bree Ainley, ’11, said. “Hopefully it will increase the spirit factor.”

According to a recent poll on The Pulse about what factor will successfully promote school spirit, 13 percent of voters responded that Nut Packs will help.

Although the leadership class set a goal to sell 100 such packs, only 38 were pre-ordered for the first football game, Whitford said.

The name of the packages refers to the Nut House, a popular student rooting section established in 1989, according to Scott Callisch, video productions advisor.

“It had gotten so popular that there were more students than seats,” Callisch said.

According to Whitford, the student body then began using Nut Packs during the early ’90s to further augment the excitement at games.

However, when students and faculty found the Nut House too time consuming to organize, the excitement in the student section began to fade, Callisch said.

One of the reasons for student leadership’s decision to revive Nut Packs is to combat the trend of poor school spirit over recent years, leadership member Austin Rurik, ’12, said.

“I think for a long time students have not cared at all about school spirit,” Rurik, ’12, said. “It [a sports game] has been more of a social gathering and students merely stood off to the side enjoying other’s company. I think Nut Packs will increase school spirit, but it will take a lot more than a Nut Pack to get back to the Nut House of the ’90s.”

For more information, e-mail either leadership advisor: Robert Foshee and Whitford.