Seniors Triumphant at Traditional Affton High Sports Night

The one thing everyone agreed on about Sports Night was that earplugs were necessary.

The loud and colorful three-hour event is a tradition at that pits the four classes against each other in a series of offbeat games. Most of the school turned out Friday night to cheer or help compete in volleyball, chariot races, bouncing relays, balloon-popping races, basketball shooting, sneaker hunt, tug-of-war and others.

At the end of the night, it was the senior class, dressed in black T-shirts, that won bragging rights.

"It's more fun than homecoming because everyone participates," Affton High Principal Susan Jackson said. "This is bigger than Affton Days for our students."

Proceeds from the event's $1 entrance fee will be donated to support the family of Rachel Bequette, an Affton freshman who died last week of injuries sustained in a car crash on Mardi Gras. When Bequette was injured, the administration postponed Sports Night, which was originally scheduled for March 10. Jackson estimates that Friday's event raised $800 to $1,000.

Before the event, the gym was host to a canned good design contest. Affton High students collected a total of 3,200 cans of food, which will go to the . There was also a tailgate party for students to fuel up before the main event.

"A lot of anarchy. It's organized chaos," said Justin Hildebrand, who teaches business and marketing at Affton High and who was one of the senior class's faculty sponsors.

Each grade wore T-shirts designed by the class officers and styled its decorations and cheers along a chosen theme. In black were the Star Wars-themed senior "Darkside," whose T-shirts had an outline of Darth Vader's helmet and the words "Who's Your Daddy?" The juniors, in light blue, were the Hangover-themed "Wolfpack." In green were the Power Rangers-themed "Mighty, Morphin' Sophomores." And in dark blue were the Nike-themed freshmen.

"It's a great time, kids blowing steam. It renews the Affton spirit, revives it," said Gerorge Mezines, whose daughter Cassandra is the senior class president. "There's a lot of tradition in Affton. It's a small town in a big city."

Assistant Principal Phil Beermann, who has been with the district for more than 25 years, said the tradition dates back to around 1973, when an assistant principal brought the concept to Affton from his previous school in New Jersey. Since then, Sports Night has grown and evolved into one of the most anticipated events of the school year.

"It's definitely more exciting now than when I was a student," said Mike Alexander, who graduated from Affton in 1976 and now serves on the Affton Board of Education.

Affton math teacher Chris Boley said that some students shave their heads for Sports Night, and that these dramatic decisions have a positive effect that trickles down to the classroom.

"This really brings the entire school together in a unified demonstration of school spirit," Boley said. "I'm not sure there are many events on a Friday night that could draw this level of participation. Not even most dances here have this level of participation."