Bonfire is a pep assembly to kick off the fall sports and activities season. An assembly is held in the evening, including band and cheer performing, class skits, and fun games. After this assembly in the main gym, students head outside to the bonfire. Everyone gathers in the student parking lot around the fire while band and cheer perform stand tunes such as Hey Baby and Jai Ho. 

Bonfire used to be an event held out on the old dirt field, but when the field was changed to turf in 2018, they weren’t able to have the fire. “So we were no longer allowed to do it there, so we had something called a Non-Bonfire because we couldn’t have a fire, and it was not very popular,” said spirit club sponsor Morgan Moberg. 

After this, a few families in the Northwest community helped to get resources to be able to have a bonfire. These families help set up a tarp, bring in half a ton of sand, and then have another family bring in machinery to smooth out the sand. After this is done, spirit club members collect wood from the environmental education class to build the fire the week before the event. 

Kicking off the fall sports and activities season, bonfire is a much anticipated pep assembly held in the evening. Starting in the gym, the assembly features performances by marching band and cheer, class skits, and fun games that provide lots of entertainment. After this assembly in the main gym, students head outside to watch the bonfire. Everyone gathers in the student parking lot around the fire while band and cheer perform stand tunes such as “Hey Baby” and “Jai Ho.” 

Bonfire used to take place out on the old dirt field, but improving the field to turf in 2018 meant the fire could no longer be held there. 

“We were no longer allowed to do it there, so we had something called a Non-Bonfire because we couldn’t have a fire,” said spirit club sponsor Morgan Moberg. “It was not very popular.”

In the following years, a few families from the Northwest community helped to get resources to make a bonfire possible again. Carrying on the tradition this fall, these community members helped set up a tarp, brought in a thousand pounds of sand, and then brought in machinery to smooth out the sand. After everything was prepared, spirit club members collected wood from the environmental education class to build the fire the week before the event. The night of the bonfire, Shawnee firefighters supervised and started the fire while students enjoyed the festivities.