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Brayden Schimp

Student Senate adviser and social studies teacher Joey Wood acts as master of ceremonies. The assemblies are usually run by Student Senators, but, "The staff take the lead on the kick-off pep rally because we want all the students to be able to sit back and enjoy the show without having come in over the summer to help plan things," Wood said.

With a new wave of freshmen entering Portage Northern High School, the 2025 opening day academic assembly was intended to bring an eruption of school spirit to the community. “It was exciting and fun,” said freshman Sarah Langeland. “I found the games entertaining and the enthusiasm fulfilling.” 

Students entered the Igloo through the Huskie tunnel that the football team runs out of at home games and then quickly got a first look at their new principal, Tracey Lowder, and the rest of the administrative team. 

After that, the assembly had staff front and center, competing by department in a game on the basketball court to see which department could throw the most plastic balls through a hoop and into a basket. “We wanted to let students see their teachers doing something other than teaching,” said assistant principal Dylan Patterson. “The goal was to provide an opportunity for all of the students to hang out and have some fun on the first day of school.” 

While the 30 minute assembly was great fun for the teachers, it was also engaging for the students who were present. Freshman Liam Dee testified to the student engagement of the assembly when he said, “you really got to interact with everyone.” A selection of students participated in the activities, and those who did not leave the bleachers were engaged by cheering on their peers and rising from their seats in response to various questions asked. “It was big, it was loud, fun to watch, and very cramped,” said sophomore Alaska Clery.

After the assembly had taken place, there were mixed emotions about the energy and school spirit that was had during the event. Members of the Huskie school community praised the originality of the assembly. “There were a lot of fun things with teachers and kids participating,” said freshman Angelic Perez.  “I liked the fact [that] they incorporated the staff, the administration, and got a little bit of student participation as well,” said health teacher Chris Andrews. “I like that the teachers got to participate and it was just fun,” said sophomore Alexis Jaime.

Students also shared that the assembly helped them get excited to come back to school. ”I am excited to be back. I feel like we are going to have a good year with a lot of huskie spirit,” said senior Marleigh Ford. Sophomore Jazzlyn Chew found herself excited for band. “I’m in advanced band class so that’s kind of exciting,” she said. Freshman Hailey Eldridge was excited for sports, stating, “I play volleyball, basketball, and track.” Her classmate Pierson Albaugh expressed looking forward to, “sporting events and getting to know people from the other schools I have not been able to know.”

Some other students sensed a lack of school spirit among students. ”I felt that there was not as much school spirit and that there was not much energy going into the school year for anything, but I’m feeling good about the school year and football season,” said junior Connor Claussen. “There was more energy and involvement, but there wasn’t stand involvement,” said junior Carter Oran. “Individuals didn’t really feel the school spirit. They just stood up when everyone stood up. There was less hype,” explained sophomore Zachary Shaman. “It was good, but it should have included the students.” Some students interviewed felt that this year’s assembly was different from last year’s assemblies. Sophomore Vedantika Banerjee said, “last year was better, but this was fun.” 

While the assembly didn’t have a student game, Student Senate adviser and social studies teacher Joey Wood shares that this was not an oversight, but rather a logistical problem. “We wanted to make sure we introduced all staff members in a way that was fun and engaging, recognize students for what they did over the summer, and set out some goals for all students for the year based on being #PACKStrong,” he said. “Unfortunately it took us a bit longer to get into the Igloo than we planned for, so we ran out of time for our student game.”

The opening day academic assembly is just one of many that will take place this year. On September 6, there will be another assembly to celebrate students who earned academic honors from the second semester of last school year. Students eligible to attend this event based on GPA will receive an invite on Friday, September 6 during 1st hour. A list of eligible students will be posted in the Office of Student Services located in the Lower Commons.

The next whole school assemblies are planned for fourth hour on September 20 and seventh hour on September 27. “We have a team that plans the assemblies,” said Patterson. “Mr. Wood and Ms. McKenzie do a great job heading this up, and they have a lot of ideas for the year.”