Always a Jag

It’s a Friday night, the air is cool and crisp, the lights are shining over the field, the poms are glistening and the roaring sound of the fans is echoing through the stands.

This all may sound familiar to some and foreign to others because this is not about a Jefferson Academy lacrosse or soccer game, but a Standley Lake football game. This atmosphere is second nature to some of our Jaguars who represent not black and gold on Fridays, but green and blue. When it comes to bringing the Jefferson Academy culture and pride to gamedays, our students have no problem doing just that.

Junior Sienna Trujillo, who is on the Standley Lake Poms team, stated: “Sometimes we wear our letterman jackets to games and I think that really represents our pride as JA students to participate in Standley poms while representing our home school.”

Senior Jackson Kennel who also competes with Standley Lake on the varsity football team shared that his Jefferson Academy pride runs deep while participating with another school.

“I show up and everyone knows I am from a different school, it is cool to go out and be a part of their team while still representing JA,” Kennel exclaimed. 

It is quite special to see our very own Jaguars bringing the culture of our school across different campuses in Jeffco. Throughout many of these Standley Lake games, you won’t only find our JAGS on the field, but you will also find them in the stands. One of these stand fans is sophomore Emily Neptune, who enjoys going to the football games to support our students.

“It makes me feel proud that [our students] can go and do what they want, especially the poms girls. There are a lot of JA girls on their team and it is exciting to see them do their thing,” shared Neptune. 

Seeing one’s classmates on the field is a feeling of pride that can’t be matched, especially knowing that they are a vital part of another school's success. That JA advantage has absolutely come into play for many students participating and spectating those events. Being a part of a different school for a sport may also come with many differences both good and bad. The culture between a public school and a charter school is one of the biggest culture differences that our students are faced with.

“I feel like, because [Standley Lake] is a public school, they have a lot more students than we do, so the games and assemblies feel more full,” stated Trujillo. 

Having a smaller school calls for a close-knit community, and many think Jefferson Academy’s student section outdoes public schools in that way.

“I feel like JA fans, when they come to sporting events they understand the game a lot more and what is happening,” shared Neptune.

Whether they are on the field, in the stands, wearing black and gold or blue and green, our JAGS will always stand out, because although we are tiny, we are mighty. Even though other schools may have a larger student section than JA does, that does not stop our fellow JAGS from showing up and showing out.

Kennel pointed out: “Our student sections at JA are better in the sense that the people who go actually care, and they will actually cheer, it’s more purposeful and shows how close our school is.”