It’s Friday night and students from every grade come together as one, dressed in a common theme, cheering together as a football flies through the air. All of this spirit, the themes, the chanting, stems from one club: the Generals Brigade. 

   “We’re trying to rally a lot of people to go to all sporting events,” senior Elizabeth Egner, an officer for the Brigade, said. “Obviously football’s really big [at school], basketball’s really big, but we’re trying to get people to come out to more games, like volleyball games and field hockey games.” 

    The Generals Brigade was founded in 2014. At first, the Brigade was just an idea the athletic department was pushing for. It would be a student-run fan club for the school. A couple of students took the initiative; they found a sponsor, and the club began. Since then, the Generals Brigade has expanded and improved. It now includes lots of members and the club is widely known.

“I think a few years ago it was kinda just upperclassmen,” said Jeanie Laybourn, an officer for the Generals Brigade. 

Egner added, “I think that since we got it there’s more people involved, more people know about it…that’s what we aim…to happen.

Like many clubs, the Brigade is almost entirely student-run. Four main officers, seniors Egner, Laybourn, Luke Shores and Joe Core, are the face of the club; however, every member is involved in club activities. Each year, new officers are selected by previous officers to lead the club. Students who are thought to be able to effectively organize and run the club are elected. Officers organize events and  communicate with other schools, like Yorktown, to plan things, for example a breast cancer awareness T-shirt for basketball season. 

Other  jobs of theirs include communicating with the school athletic director, Ms. Carol Callaway, and managing the club’s social media in order to inform and rally students to come out to games and support the school.

    “We need to organize, not only amongst the student body, but also with the administrators…to make sure everyone’s on the same page [about school events],” Laybourn said.

Officers are an important part of the club, but it’s really about the group as a whole. They try their hardest to get members at every sporting event. With games happening all the time and often at times where the officers aren’t available, this goal would be nowhere close to reached without other members who are willing to get involved.

“[We would like] for as many people as we can [to join], ‘cause we’re just trying to rally school spirit and support W-L athletics,” said senior Alexis McIntire, a member of the Generals Brigade.

    While the students are mainly the ones running the Generals Brigade, they have a sponsor, Mr. Evan Rodger, the in-school suspension teacher and boys lacrosse coach. He has sponsored the club since it began, however, he is minimally involved. 

    “My favorite part [of sponsoring the Generals Brigade] is that I let the students take initiative…the club is dictated how far and in which direction they go in, based on the student body,” Mr. Rodger said.

    The club is open to all. In fact, the club is working on having 100 percent student participation. Instagram and Twitter are places to seek out more information. Interested students can direct message the @rollgens Instagram with their desire to join or can ask an officer in person. Information can also be sought through the Athletic Department.