A SHORT DRIVE DOWN
highway 55 one might come across a small town with a population of little over three thousand. Complete with family owned businesses, local festivals, and most importantly, high school sports, residents of Gillespie, Ill., a mining town during its heyday, take pride in their town’s history and local events.
From the town’s Black Diamond Days, a festival held each year to celebrate the town’s mining history to the beloved Gillespie High School fan base, you can almost always witness some form of Miner pride throughout “Big Orange Country.”
After a drive around town one might witness multiple “Go Miners!” signs, a water tower depicting the Miner logo, a local “Miner’s Family Restaurant,” and multiple alumni ready to share their stories about the glory days. Last May, the school’s 85-year-old gymnasium, the city’s most notable building known as “the pit,” was damaged by a tornado. Draped over the front of the fallen wall lies a makeshift banner with the words “Welcome to Big Orange Country.” The pit seems to encompass Gillespie pride almost perfectly. Its court, although small, allows for a sea of orange to be right on top of the action and displays the town’s ability to rally behind their team.
On nights where MHS student sections are criticized due to lack of attendance, Gillespie fans are lauded for how everyone and their grandparents show up to games.
While the Gillespie Miners’ football team was named the St. Louis Rams’ Illinois Team of the Year and had a 10-2 record, their high attendance isn’t based off of their team’s winning percentage. Miner fans pack the stands regardless of the score, record or time of year. For residents in Gillespie, Friday night lights are much more than watching your high school football team. It’s watching your town compete.
It’s this pride that’s been dwindling recently. When MHS teams struggle, our attendance struggles.
Two issues ago I wrote a similar story about lack of attendance at events and our major problem still is how we perceive our time in high school. Last time I posed a question about how you want to remember your days at MHS and I believe this still has to be addressed. There are many students who act like school is just a time where you clock in and clock out. Our time at MHS is numbered and we should treat it as something to look forward to. I mean, hey, you have to show up anyway, you might as well make it count.