Elder Panther fans are truly one of a kind. Each and every game in each and every sport, Elder brings a great crowd no matter the venue.

Sometimes, however, crowds aren’t the greatest. Specifically, sometimes the student body fails to make it out to games where they probably should go.

To fix this potential problem for attending games, would it be beneficial to offer bonus points towards one’s grade for attending certain athletic events?

Other high schools across Cincinnati do this for their students. If they attend certain athletic events for their school, then they will be rewarded with some bonus points towards their grade.

Also, some teachers here at Elder reward you if you go to a Glee Club concert or the Elder-Seton Talent Show, so why not expand this to athletics as well?

Would this work at Elder? I think that it definitely would. Students are always chomping at the bit to get some extra credit, especially towards the end of a quarter. Students will fight tooth and nail in order to bump up their grade a couple points.

I believe that student attendance would spike tremendously if this were to take place. There would be a huge army of Elder students for games, no matter the sport. Imagine a bunch of students packing the PAC for baseball or soccer games and track meets, or imagine the Pit being packed for something other than a football game, such as lacrosse. Imagine us bringing about 100 kids to opposing GCL schools for basketball games, or packing the Northlands for Panther Puck action. The possibilities are endless.

As a baseball player here at Elder, it would be awesome to see a bunch of students fill up the PAC for a nice night of Elder Baseball. We certainly have the venue, and it would be great to see the seats filled with the student body.

The idea is a good one, in my opinion. I think it would without a doubt end up working. Students would love this, and I’m sure other Elder fans and parents would think this is a tremendous thing to happen, too. It would be outstanding if Elder could get a massive crowd to each and every sporting event.

I realize that nobody really wants to go to a game during the week that is 40 minutes away, but this idea could apply to those weekend games where you could round up the boys for a good old road trip.

All of this being said, though, this would be sort of a slap in the face for those who always make their way out to the games. They already go to these games on a consistent basis, and have never received bonus points.

Also, I’m not so sure if this new idea would be welcomed by Elder itself. It seems so easy to just get bonus points by going to a game, and I’m sure that some teachers would think that this is just an easy way to avoid putting in work in the classroom, and relying on bonus points from attending athletic contests in order to save a grade. That just will not work, unfortunately.

Theoretically, this would be a dream come true for students. This would be such an easy way to improve your grade. It’s a win-win for students; you get to boost your grade without actually doing any schoolwork, and you get to go out and support the Panthers in a positive fashion.

However, this does not exist, and it may never exist at Elder. It is expected for students to provide a student section at sports games, so there shouldn’t be a reward for those who make it out to a game.

Wishful thinking is what this is, and a change is what it could be. Who knows, this article may have saved a kid’s grade in the future.