The Friday night lights, the bustling chants of the crowd. A chance to finally get loud and cheer on the Pioneers. But some factors of sports events at NPHS could be changing this year.
The main question in Pioneer sports events revolves around security. Certain policies have been added this year, namely leaving personal items out of events as well as rules regarding entry and exit of games.
New Providence High School Athletic Director Vincent Carangelo said, “some stuff that we added this year was asking that our students not bring in any bags or backpacks or water bottles, just from a safety and security standpoint, and now asking that our students not leave the facility.”
Carangelo also said one thing that is “tough” about the NPHS facility is the lack of permanent restrooms by the snack shack: “Most places you go it’s kind of more like a multipurpose building. So there’s usually restrooms and a snack area. It’s just not how our field was designed, and that goes well beyond my time here. I would love to have a much bigger awesome field house back there with permanent restrooms and all sorts of cool stuff. That’s obviously not happening anytime soon, but we are looking into how we can potentially provide some higher quality temporary restrooms in that area.”
NPHS junior Kyle Felt, spoke for many other students regarding sports events when he said, “I think they’re a great time. You know, I like going with my friends. I think watching people I know compete is also really interesting. I noticed there’s some changes to how they’re run, but I think they’re pretty positive changes.”
Moreover, Felt said he feels the student section at games are “motivating.”
Other students also feel positive towards the student section, like junior Michael Sharovarov. He said, “we get loud, we get rowdy, but at the end of the day, we all do it for the school.”
This talk of changing policies may raise the question of how they are enforced. Carangelo said that there are always teachers working at every sports event, in conjunction with police officers.
Felt had a positive view on the application of these security measures and policies at sports events: “I’ve seen the teachers really step up to try to keep everyone safe. They watch the student section the whole game, which I think is a good thing. Especially when you’re trying to enter the football game they confiscate any bags or water bottles, which I also do think helps the security.”
Felt said this creates a sense of security in the student section: “I feel like the teachers are always watching us making sure we’re doing good, which I think goes a long way to make sure there’s nobody stepping out of line during the games.”
Sharovarov also had a positive outlook on the matter, saying, “I think our security is pretty good. I mean there’s always people like guarding the entrances. And there’s always, you know, police and obviously the principal and other staff. There’s always people there to keep us safe.”
These changes in policy and security come in a time when security, especially in schools, are being ramped up across the country. NPHS is just one more school to apply new measures to ensure its student’s utmost safety.
Overall on Pioneer sports events, Carangelo said, “We want you guys to be as packed and engaged as possible. But we just also have to make sure we’re doing it in the most appropriate ways that match the expectations we have as, you know, Pioneers. And so that’s always the goal.”