The Nest was once known as one of the best student sections in the state. Hundreds of students would participate in every cheer with an immense amount of school spirit. Wahlert takes pride in its student section. However, the past few years it seems as though participation has declined among the birds in The Nest. 

As a senior, the student section has gotten more exciting every single year. I recall sitting at the very top of the bleachers during basketball games getting yelled at for not cheering loudly enough. It seems like just yesterday I was confused about what we were chanting against the other teams.  

From a freshman point of view, I enjoy being a part of The Nest any chance I can get. It’s not the most fun sitting in the back, but I’ll take what I can get. It’s fun learning the cheers early in my high school years to prepare me for possibly being a Nest leader one day. With how loud The Nest often is, I sometimes forget where I am sitting or if I’m a freshman or a senior because I am cheering so loudly. 

The closer I get to the front as a senior, the more exciting it is cheering for my classmates on the field or court. Between football, volleyball and basketball games, I think The Nest gets louder every game. However, that doesn’t mean that we, The Nest, cannot be louder as a whole.

As a freshman, there are some cons like moving to the back rows for upperclassmen who arrive late. It’s frustrating when I have to move back for those who arrive just before the game starts, especially when I get there decently early to get a good seat. 

Being a senior definitely comes with a lot of positives. One is that we automatically get to be in the first few rows of the student section, no matter what time we arrive. While some underclassmen don’t understand this completely, I know they will once they have the ability to move the whole student section back a few rows. It’s just how the ball bounces in The Nest, and underclassmen just have to deal with this tradition. We suffered through it when we were freshmen, so now it’s our time to pull the seniority card. 

I can understand moving back, considering we are freshmen and upperclassmen have been waiting years to sit near the front. The pros outweigh the cons, however. Personally it is too much of an amazing experience for me to complain about it. Sure, the seniors yelling at us can get a little out of hand. However, those few moments of humiliation get us fired up and into the game. 

As a senior, it can be frustrating to see fans in the student section not cheering. We want to be as loud as possible when cheering our classmates on, and people just standing there is not helping. However, I understand where they are coming from. I’ll admit it. The games can get boring, and sometimes even the cheers can get boring. 

As a freshman, I feel like we could improve the problems we have in The Nest this year. The seniors yelling at us can work some of the time; however, it doesn’t consistently work as a long term solution. 

The best way to fight boredom at the games is to cheer and get more into the games. That is my only piece of advice for the frustrated freshman standing in the back row. If you don’t understand what the cheer is, yell at the seniors in the front row. We would be happy to help you out. We would much rather inform you of the cheer than see you standing there looking confused. Communication is key. 

I suggest that we establish a mindset for us freshmen that unless we plan to cheer, don’t sit in The Nest. I know the seniors say this a fair amount of times during the games, but I think we, freshmen, should understand that once we take our seats in The Nest, we should be cheering at all times. This way we can be even louder and get excited about coming to the games and supporting our peers on the field and court. 

The Nest has been a legendary part of the Wahlert Catholic history for many years. Although the volume of The Nest might alter from year to year, the school spirit always remains the same. Whether you are a freshman or a senior, there is no excuse not to be cheering loudly and proudly in The Nest.