What’s better than going to an Oyster River High School (ORHS) spring sporting event? Going to an ORHS spring sporting event with some juicy burgers and dogs.
On Monday, May 13th, the Student Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) will be hosting a barbecue in the high school courtyard at 3:30pm. Offering a multitude of different foods, their hope is to draw more interest in attending sports games this year and in the future.
On the day of the barbecue, Girls Softball, Girls Tennis (it’s their senior night), Boys Baseball, and Girls Lacrosse will all be playing matches. SALT hopes that hosting the barbecue on this day will encourage students to show up and support the teams with some food. “It’s fun to watch all these games and have a sense of community in your school,” said SALT member Mallory DeSantis.
With the help of volunteers across the community, you can expect burgers, pasta, baked goods, and more at the barbecue. Members of SALT and Nick Ricciardi, their advisor, will be operating the food stations. A $5 donation is suggested, as SALT is going use the barbecue to fundraise for a nonprofit organization. “We haven’t decided what the money is going to go towards, but it will involve sports. That may be like giving it to an organization that turns old shoes into new ones for people in need,” said DeSantis.
For a while now, SALT has been trying to ost an event that will raise school spirit. “We were like, ‘why don’t we host a barbecue?’ We knew [Ricciardi] could help us cook things, and it was something we could pull off in a pretty quick manner,” said Delaney Nadeau (‘24), the President of SALT.
What was especially important to them was getting more involvement in student sports games. “Having fans brings up the energy of the game, and it makes it fun,” said Nadeau, who has played Golf, Unified Basketball, and Unified Volleyball. “I think the biggest thing is it shows community and school spirit, which ORHS is kind of lacking at the moment. [SALT] is trying to come up with ways to boost that in a way that doesn’t just fall on students but involves parents and families from elementary and middle schools as well.”
Rory Flynn (‘24), Captain of the baseball team, can attest to the lack of fans and spirit at their games. “I think it’s hard for students to come to baseball games, because we don’t have any seating and it can be a little boring to watch,” he said. However, he thinks the barbecue is a great idea and will help with attendance. “I think if you give people food, they’re going to show up. It’s pretty simple,” he continued.
DeSantis hopes that this tradition can continue in the future, whether it be a barbecue for sports games or other school spirit events. “I think it would be fun to have a SALT barbecue every year. Maybe if it gets bigger and bigger it could get to the point where it’s happening after a pep rally,” she said.
Although SALT have big plans for the future, it all starts with Monday’s barbecue. So, get out there, go support your sports teams, and grab a bite from the barbecue!
– James Li
Mouth of the River 
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