On Tuesday, Oct. 8, Sion hosted its annual tailgate before the volleyball game against St Teresa’s Academy. The tailgate serves as an admissions event organized by Director of Admissions Katie Glatz.

“At this point we have the organization of the tailgate down to a science,” Glatz said. “We know we will always have pizza, cookies and a craft for the little kids. What gets challenging is managing numbers. Will we have 100 people attend or 300? That gets tricky when it comes to space and ordering food.”

This year, the theme for the tailgate and match was Once Upon a Time. Students and guests arrived dressed in pink tutus, dresses and tiaras.

“I love how it’s like bringing us back to our childhood and letting us be creative,” freshman Livvie Black said. “I bet all the kids love it.”

The tailgate began at 5:30 p.m. and lasted until around 6:30 p.m. before the varsity game began at 7 p.m. The tailgate was held in the cafeteria and circle drive. Prospective students participated in activities including face painting, hair braiding, wand making and more. 

“The kids get so excited about getting face paint on their face and to cheer on the Sion girls,” senior Emily Schimmel said. “It’s really fun but chaotic with a lot of energy, it’s very exciting because you see so many people who you have never met interested in seeing what Sion is about.”

Guests were given a purple hair clip when they checked in, and also were able to fill out slips of paper with contact information so Sion could stay in touch. Pizza and cookies were also provided to everyone who attended the tailgate. 

“I always look forward to the tailgate because I know they’ll have Sion cookies for us at the end,” Schimmel said. “It’s such a tradition for Sion to have those cookies at events and they are so different from any other cookie. Better than any other cookie.”

During the tailgate, the drumline played some of their favorite songs to get the crowd excited. Before the game started, the dance team performed along with a shout-out to the soccer team for their state championship and the dance team for their national title. 

“I went with a bunch of friends from elementary school before I came to Sion and had a ton of fun,” senior Brooke Petro said. “My favorite part was definitely the dance team because they were really impressive and we didn’t have anything like that at our school.”

Many families came to the tailgate, so the lunchroom was bustling for the entire duration. The tailgate also draws larger crowds than usual to the game, with the bleachers full of excited students to watch the rivalry game.

“I love the Sion vs St Teresa’s games because it throws up the school spirit to another level,” senior Emerson Kraus said. “It’s always big. It’s exciting to get to share the spirit with people who want to come to Sion. We’re sharing the spirit with the people inside the community and potential new members.”