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“Big Controversy”

In the saga of Sept. 8’s spirit night, was the theme “white-out” or “neon?”
The confusion surrounding the Sept. 8 theme night led to a student section covering their bases of a mix of white and neon colors.
The confusion surrounding the Sept. 8 theme night led to a student section covering their bases of a mix of white and neon colors.
Camilla O’Connell

The week of Sep. 4, there was confusion between administration and the student section ahead of the McIntosh Chiefs’ home football game against Central High School on Sep. 8. The McIntosh Chiefs official Instagram page posted the theme “neon” and McIntosh Student Section Instagram page posted “white out” for the game. 

“I was very confused the entire time,” junior Zoe Mitchell said. 

Screenshot from the official MHS Instagram page announcing the spirit night theme.

The confusion began the day of the game, when McIntosh student section socials posted that the theme would be “white out, where all students dress in white apparel.” The official McIntosh Chiefs Instagram, run by administration, posted a video of the senior section leaders James Hooper and Ava Guest, saying that the theme of the game would be “neon,” causing an hours-long back-and-forth of social media communication among students and leaving them unsure of their outfit plans for the football game. 

“I don’t want to be the only people showing up in neon, while all the other kids are showing up in white,” a sophomore, who wished their identity be withheld, said. 

Even though the original theme for the game came from administration’s annoucement was neon, some students preferred white-out as the theme. Students ended up showing up to the game in the theme they thought was best, resulting in a student section that was a mixture of neon and white out apparel. 

“We had a big controversy. Originally it was neon and then some people wanted white-out,” senior student section leader James Hooper said. 

The confusion surrounding the Sept. 8 theme night led to a student section covering their bases of a mix of white and neon colors. (Camilla O’Connell)

The 2024 senior class Snapchat argued over the theme of the game. Some seniors preferred white out because the football team would be wearing their white jerseys and wanted to represent the team. 

“Most people were for white-out and then they were starting to get mad because admin said no,” a senior who was part of the group chat and wished their identity be withheld, said. 

The students in the senior group chat had mixed reviews for both football game themes. 

“Majority wanted white out, minority wanted neon and those middle ones that were just like, ‘Let’s just do both,’” an anonymous McIntosh senior said. 

Junior Sophie Castellon, who showed up to the game wearing a combination of white and neon, was one such student. Castellon wore a white top with multi-colored cargo pants.

“It’s very confusing but I just wore both,” Castellon said.

This situation brings to light the issue of who really chooses the football game theme, the seniors or the administration.

“The seniors have been choosing the themes for so long. Like, what’s the point in changing it now?” the senior said. 

On an Instagram story poll, the Trail asked followers, “Should students or admin determine the game themes?” Forty-three voters chose “Students” while “Admin” received no votes. Five respondents suggested “Both.”

Screenshot of the Trail’s Instagram poll, “Should students or admin determine the game themes?”

“There has never been a bad theme;  everyone has always liked it,” the senior said. 

The Chiefs fell to Central, 21 to 40, and the Chiefs play Landmark Christian Academy in an away game that begins at Landmark at 7:30 p.m.

The next home game is the Homecoming game on Oct. 6.

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About the Contributors
Grace Lovejoy
Grace Lovejoy, Editor-in-Chief
Grace Lovejoy is serving as the Editor-In-Chief for 2024-2025 school year. Lovejoy has been on staff for three years now and served as the Features Editor last year. Lovejoy has won 3 Best of SNO pieces, including her first piece “Collision course: teens and golf cart accidents in Peachtree City” which was the first for the Trail.  Lovejoy has been an Ambassador and a part of McIntosh BETA Club for 2 years. She was involved in the Student Press Law Center’s New Voices program in 2023 and won a Best of Sno award for her story “The five freedoms in the First,” recapping her experience. Lovejoy has been involved in theater for 2 years and has performed and worked backstage on numerous shows. This year she is serving as the Historian for the McIntosh Thespians Troupe.  Lovejoy is eager to meet the new staff and have another successful year on the Trail.
Camilla O’Connell
Camilla O’Connell, Photo Editor
Camilla O’Connell is a senior at McIntosh. This is her first year on the Trail, though she is a four year editor of the Legend Yearbook and is their Photo Editor for the 2025 book.  O’Connell spent a week of her summer as a National Youth Correspondent representing Georgia at the Washington Journalism and Media Conference, in Washington DC, where she met many working journalists and learned how to write in Smart Brevity.  O’Connell has won three All-Georgia awards for her storytelling and photography, one superior award in portrait photography and was the first place winner for the Georgia Scholastic Press Association's 2023 on the spot photo contest. She has also won the Laws of Life essay contest twice. Her work has been published in local news sites. Fun fact she fought the Citizen and won because they used one of her photos without her permission or giving her credit. She has photographed every home football game in her high school career.  Outside of journalism O’Connell is the President of the Knitting and Crochet club, is in Beta club, Key club, We the People, Chorus, Advanced Drama, the English National Honors Society and the National Honor Society.  When she’s not doing something on campus she can be found at the pool as a head lifeguard, on the rink playing hockey, making content for Joestens as one of their Ambassadors or hanging out with friends.  “Though I love photography, my favorite part of journaling is getting to interview and hear people’s stories and being a microphone to share them.”
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