The annual tailgate served food. Families attending sat at tables on the basketball courts behind the theater.
The Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO) and the Athletic Boosters held the annual tailgate prior to the second home football game on Sept. 14. It took place on the outdoor basketball courts and included a barbecue and entertainment from various student groups.
Considered a bonding event for the Aragon community, the tailgate celebrated the beginning of the new football season and school year.
“It is not a fundraiser, but an event where everybody can come together and have a low priced meal and meet new people,” said Athletic Booster President Jennifer Trizuto.
“It’s an opportunity for the community to come together early in the school year … We really reach out to the parents to come out,” said football coach Steve Sell, “and get to meet each other and for the school to be more of a community.”
Besides the football game, the tailgate featured performances from cheerleading, dance, a cappella groups, and the jazz ensemble.
“It’s an opportunity to perform, but it’s also a really nice time to have fun, chill because it’s on a Friday evening,” said senior a capella singer Andre Gu. “You have all this good food. Right after that, you can go see the game and then even after that, you can go hang out with your friends, so it’s a really nice time to have fun.”
The PTSO and the Athletic Boosters worked closely with the administration and school staff to coordinate the tailgate
“[The hardest part of hosting the tailgate is] getting volunteers,” Trizuto said. “The administration, Steve Sell, all the support staff and the engineers and custodians … We couldn’t do it without them helping to set up the tables and all of the chairs and providing that for us.”
The tailgate has grown over the past four years since it was introduced, bringing together more people every year.
“Each year we serve more people for the food and we’re getting more and more people volunteering and organizations volunteering to do the entertainment,” Trizuto said. This is an event of community bonding and a great rallying of school spirit.
“It’s just the kickoff of the school year,” said senior a capella singer, Koby Lieu, “the [tailgate] bring[s] the community together to say, ‘Aragon’s going to be an amazing school… We need schools like this to bring in people who want to be a part of the community and want to feel like that.’”
