I know that there are some who are upset with the outcome and change is hard to accept. On the positive side, I am very happy for the students. First, the football players are now for the first time ever, able to participate in the Saturday festivities. What a pleasure it is to honor them in the parade! Secondly, on behalf of most of the female student population-how wonderful that you will now be able to enjoy the game without rushing to hair and nail appointments. Next, I am very relieved that most of kids, and especially the ones who drive, will now be arriving at the dance, hopefully refreshed and not exhausted like they always are. That has been my biggest concern ever since I've chaparoned for the past 9 years. I am sorry for those who are upset, but you would really have to be around these kids to fully appreciate what I am talking about. The day was too long and these kids too exhausted-too much all packed into one day and not enough time to thoroughly enjoy any one event.

I mentioned before about the floats. There is no reason why the float cannot be complete before Friday night. The student council float always had to be-no exception. Their float is usually finished days in advance. These kids start several weeks in advance and work in shifts every weekend and after school. They will even have a few hours before the game if need be for last minute touches, but in reality,they should be finished. It is not even wise to wait until the night before to have major work still needed to be done. It's usually just fine tuning.

So congratulations to all those who wanted this to happen, and to the others, I hope that you can find it in your hearts to understand. Our Norwin tradition still lives on. It is just changed somewhat, to help the ones who need it to be.

Sorry -started to write something and wanted to delete it and there's no delete button! Why is that?
Please continue to read my next comment.

BBfan,I said I was done with this subject and now feel guilty leaving you out on a limb by yourself. Packman- you are quite funny and I understood your jokes and appreciate that you are trying to keep this a little lighthearted. You sound like a really nice person. However, it's hard to tell people who use a forum to censor themselves and only agree to talk about something for a specified time period. Evidently, this is important to some and it should be allowed to run its course.
With that being said:

1. It is the Norwin Student Council and the football team who have given the community the tradition that everyone holds so dear for all of these years.

2. They have come to the realization that the schedule is no longer working as it always did. (I've noticed that absolutely no one on this forum responded to my pleas for help-why is that?)

3. They went to the Irwin borough with the idea to change the parade to Friday night instead of Saturday. That was turned down for several reasons. So the next step was to ask for a change for the football game. The coaches and the team want the change. (Packman, at least you are trying to come up with ideas, but your idea of the team riding in the parade and onto the game on paper sounds great but it would never be allowed to happen- not on a day of a big game). I like that idea, though, but according to the coaching staff-no way.

4. Instead of everyone seeing the big picture and realizing that the way things are cannot continue as is and must change or else the whole tradition may go by the way side eventually, some are only thinking how this affects them personally, and not as a whole community.

5.People can and will make it to a Friday game if it means that much to them. In order to try to relieve some of the pressure of the very people who do all of the work and are very involved, some of you may have to re-arrange your Friday schedules. Is that asking too much as a way to say "thank you" to the student council for all of their many, many years of hard work and dedication to this community? I think not.

6. This is the most important-- Some act as though this tradition is "owed" to them. It has been a gift given to you and not a duty required by student council, but a gift that the council wants to keep on giving. They need some changes and shame on anyone who is angry about it or just cannot see beyond their own self who although may not like it, refuses to condone it.

Now it is enough said!

Can we all pick another issue and start a string of ideas like we have been doing for the last few weeks? It's nice to know people care about what is going on around here. We could possibly do something good or at least get people thinking. I read all of the comments about Homecoming and found some of you are very passionate in your views. Some like to look at all sides while others only see their side. It has been some enjoyable reading. Felt bad for Emilyann. Some of her comments weren't meant to be taken as they sounded in her writings. At least I hope not. She was chastised rather harshly for those lines. I'm sure she is a fine young student and will grow to be a caring adult.

Let's get a list going and we'll allow 3 weeks for debate and then on to the next issue. Let's leave the Walmart issue alone. PLEASE!!!
1) How about lack of "restaurants" in NHT? I don't mean fast food places, but real sit down and eat locally owned not chain places. How many have closed recently?
2) Lack of Entertainment venues in the area?

Come on people. You know there is that one thing you'd like to discuss intelligently. This is the place to do it. If this takes off, we'll all have lunch together one day on the Norwin Star. Sound doable Kelly?

The alcohol comment was a joke. Just adding some humor to the issue. It was the 70's. I graduated in 78. Busting the kids drinking was the main job of Admin back then.
Last years heat was a fluke. Think about it, that was not a normal autumn afternoon. That is a chance you take. Why can't the team be in the parade. Put them in uniform on a wagon up front and go directly to the fieldhouse. Kind of like riding the bus to an away game. I wish people would just use some common sense about this whole thing. One hot October day could possibly change history. I'm surprised someone hasn't complained that the School should have provided some type of cooling mist or shade that day.
Hope I didn't upset you too bad. What ever the school decides it will be based on their own ideas. They don't care what we the people think. I am just a citizen out here in the Real World. I contribute to my employers benefits for me. Thinking of applying for Norwin Admin job or NHT road department where you get free health care. But that is a whole different issue. Sorry if you took offense to my bonfire comments. I do have to admit that when I left the stadium last homecoming I wish I had an ice cold beer to beat the heat.

Just curious. Homecoming is a community event that involves many different activities. Why should the football players who I'll admit are greatly involved but in no way make up the majority of the people involved have the final say in this matter. Just a thought. Also as for the bonfire idea. There used to be one on Friday night back in the 70's at the high school, cheerleaders and everything. Not sure why it went away. Probably some tree hugger started a poll looking for change and away went the bonfire. Just kidding. Seriously there was a bonfire. I remember going to it with my older sister. It's last one might have been 1976. Some students probably snuck in some beer and that was all she wrote.

PLEASE-think of the safety of the football players, fans and students, and the advisors who pull this all off.! God Bless them. It s a great undertaking that begins in June.
Last year, 5 people who were there to watch their family play were taken from the football game in an ambulance for heat stroke. Is that not enough? I am insulted by Emily Ann and her comments about the footabll team. What a thing to say about your fellow classmates? Shame on you. A class officer and a student council member should not say something like that. I think this needs to be changed. Look at all of the factors before making a decision.

" It brings the community together, not just for a couple of hours, not just for a day, but usually THE ENTIRE WEEKEND. To take this to a personal level, I am now able to share this tradition with my wife, 4 children, and the out of town relatives (which are Alumni"

This is my very last comment on this subject. To th3, I am absolutely not " out of the woodwork", and neither are any of the other people on this board who responded either way. No need to insult.

Even in between having high school children , I have volunteered all of my time into helping the student council for all of their endeavors. All of you alumni out there should know how much work goes into pulling a successful homecoming off. But yet, year after year, we get less and less volunteers. None of you who do not help out have no idea how much work is involved and it gets harder and harder every single year! The student council needs adult help with the floats, the parade, and the dance. The student council parents help as much as possible in between working, but that is still not enough. Where is all of the help to keep that tradition as is? Because right now, A Friday night game would ease some of the very difficult schedule. I can't stress enough how brutal the Saturday schedule is for the kids and the advisors. THE STUDENT COUNCIL IS REQUESTING THIS. Everyone seems to forget that fact. Shame on us if we can't sympathasize with their needs. What a nice way for this community to say "thank you" to them for all of their years of service, by ignoring their needs.

For me personally, I just want what they want, whether it's a Friday game or a Saturday game. It makes no difference to me, but their feelings do. I love and admire this group and have for years. Th3, you were born in 1971. Well I graduated from another school in 71, and that student council was no way back then, what this Norwin Council is today. They deserve every consideration in all ways. These kids are all pretty fantastic year after year. They simply amaze me!

If anything, please realize: You seem to ignore the fact that it is the student council who is requesting the change, NOT PEOPLE COMING OUT OF THE WOODWORK AS YOU SO IMPOLITELY STATED. After talking to the football team and the coaches, who this decision affects also, and asking for their opinion and desires, they made their request. Does anyone out there think that they would have done so without talking to the football team first? How can anyone just worry about "self" and not give consideration to their needs- the very ones, the football team and the council who work hard to give us the tradition and entertainment that we so covet? How selfish are we, as a community, to ignore them?

They could have gone ahead and made the decision without asking for public opinion, but they were kind enough not to do so. Maybe next time, they won't ask you. They really were hoping the community would stand behind them on this.

No, the student council advisors do not let the children make the decisions, but they treat the high school kids as young adults and yes, since it is their hard work and their time, they should be part of the thought process. Do you know how many graduating student council members come back to help? Very, very few. At least if they would help chaparone the dance, that would not require a major effort. We see most of them year after year standing on the sidelines. If they plan to come back and be part of the working process, then they should have a say.

Everyone talks about community. Let's make this more of a community effort by helping these kids out. Find out where and when the floats are being made. The parade itself is an enormous feat. Why not volunteer some time there? The dance- there are less and less volunteers every year. We need to serve over (900-1000 tickets x min 3 drinks ea) 3000 drinks to hot, thirsty kids, and we need to clean up afterwards. We need hands! The Friday before, We could use more adults to help decorate.

You talk about an entire weekend? While most of you are enjoying the pleasant memories of the festivities of all day Saturday, the kids are up bright and early on Sunday in barns and garages cleaning up after weeks of float making.

If you all want to keep tradition, at least maybe a few would consider easing the burden by volunteering some time. You talk about "rolling your eyes". It would be nice if more people would roll up their sleeves and help out.

The student council loves all that they do. But they can not perform the major tasks without adult help and supervision. There are a few adults who realize this and still volunteer their time even though their kids are long graduated. They are a blessing, but there are still not enough. You don't have to have a child in student council to help out. They need help helping and doing for the community. Let's help them keep the "tradition" you all hold so dear.

If you can't understand that the student council advisors are asking you as a community to back them up on this , then there is nothing more to say.

Norwin Knightros... In keeping with your theme of remaining civil, I will not show you that I'm rolling my eyes...

You state "If you don't want to take in consideration what the athletes would want, according to the polls on this page, 63% of the community would want to change it to a Friday game". ARE YOU SERIOUS???

You would actually claim that 208 votes would be a good representation of what the Norwin community would like to see? Statistically speaking, you would have to throw out ~42% of the votes. This would account for those who have an agenda and vote every 24 hours (for either side). Take a look at the number of times the article and this blog was read - If either side had a massive amount of support, the total number of people voting should have been proportionally higher.

My question is why does everyone come out of the woodwork to try and change a Norwin Tradition? Let me repeat --- TRADITION! Those of us who have lived in this community (in my case since i was born in '71 less my military years) have always enjoyed having an entire weekend to celebrate homecoming. It brings the community together, not just for a couple of hours, not just for a day, but usually THE ENTIRE WEEKEND. To take this to a personal level, I am now able to share this tradition with my wife, 4 children, and the out of town relatives (which are Alumni). Speaking of out of town Alumni, what motivation do they have to come home now? Will some adjust to a Friday game? Certainly. But my admitally 100% informal poll shows that many will not take a day off just to be home for a Friday game.

As far as what the football players supposedly want... I never once heard anyone in the class of '89 complain about the heat or lack of involvement. They went out and played their hearts out, showered, and danced. IF these current players are complaining, I SINCERELY hope not to see any one of them further their playing time at the collegic level -- they might suffer from heat exhaustion or get sunburn -- heck, lets be proactive take off the pads and put the flags around their wastes...

Finally, you state, "Only the wants of the freshmen,sophomores,juniors, the future officers, and advisors should go into the student council thought process on this particular subject for next year". I might give you the advisors portion (advisors=Adults), but when did we start letting children decide issues such as this? To go a step further, the Seniors are closer to graduating and are more, for the lack of better terms, adult-like and their guidance should be invaluable to the underclassmen. Maybe this is where we are failing as the adults in the community. Last time I checked, If the Administration or School Board said something it was "law" and it was done -- no questions asked.

Lets leave well enough alone. Lets keep what most other towns have lost (Their sense of community and tradition). If you want to complain about something stop the plethora of pharmacies from going in, stop the NHT Commissioners from being so shady in their practices, ride the NHT Police Dept about speeding in residential areas -- No I do not have a hidden agenda, I'm just pointing out that, in 30 seconds, I was able to compile a list of more important things to change than the Norwin Tradition that we all grew up with.

Thank you for your time.

"

I travel a great deal. I didn't get to see a lot of Friday games because of getting home late. I did listen to the radio and heard many games, not just Norwin games. The week before the Homecoming Game I heard the announcers saying that the Norwin Game(which they would be doing) was such a unique game as it involved the entire community. "No one else in the area has a Homecoming Experience like Norwin." That's what radio legend Ralph Conde said. "Gives it a feel of a small college town." Why suddenly change that?

Like I stated earlier. Make the dance an informal casual dance as it began years ago and the players won't need to be rushed. Better yet use Friday night to have a community pep rally/bonfire at Irwin Park and further involve this great town.

As a parent of a 4-year student council officer/ vp and president and a second child very much involved as well, I have been part of the Homecoming process and work as a parent for 9 years now. Emily, no one works harder than our Norwin Student Council, students and advisors alike. Our council far surpasses all others in all of their endeavors, Homecoming being one of them. I have to honestly say that I have often wondered why the game hasn't been scheduled on Fridays before.
Addressing the council and float issue, with all of the help especially on the weekends, the students are getting finished earlier than ever before. The last minute touches that you speak of can be done beforehand and often are. If you are talking strictly about the student council float, as long as I have been involved, we have always been finished before Friday, and we are at the school until 11 PM decorating, not working on the float. Again, my one daughter was an officer all 4 years and we have always had the float complete before Friday. If student council can have their float complete before Friday, than it is quite possible for others to do the same.
Sometimes, less is more, and I feel that the floats and dance decorations can be less elaborate without sacrificing quality. The schedule for Homecoming is brutal for the student council, the advisors, and the parents involved. It is great fun but so very exhausting that I am not sure that you kids really can enjoy it and appreciate it as well as you may if the load is lightened a little by a Friday game.
With all of this being said, for me the bottom line is-what do the athletes want? To me, they should be our first concern. I have a feeling that most of them would want to play on Friday, get some rest, and be able to enjoy all of the festivities on Saturday. I feel that their wishes, whatever they may be, should be the deciding factor. This is just my opinion, and I understand that some may not agree with me.

First of all, "being involved a great deal with homecoming throught student council and being a class officer" and "Being a class officer, I am in charge of float construction." It is refreshing to see a student taking on extracurricular activities, you and your parents are to be commended! I think its great that your're showing concern by writng in with your own comment on this issue of Friday Night Homecoming Game vs Saturday Afternoon Homecoming game. I wish more Norwin students would write in their own comments on this well debated subject.
Now to address your comments with my own.....
"I think that the game on Friday night is the craziest idea I have ever heard." You are certainly entitled to your opinion but I don't think "craziest" is the right adjective to use in this case because of all the valid reasons given by me and many others in this blog. I guess the entire WPIAL is crazy for approving to hold most football games on Friday nights here in Western Pennsylvania. It is also a crazy "Tradition", I think not, in this great country of ours that most high school football games are played on Friday nights. In fact the only football game here not played on Friday nights is the Norwin Homecoming Game.

"how many boys do you think are actually going to wake up the following morning after a rough game to attend the parade. Not many at all." The football team will never have an opportunity to see the parade until after they graduate because of the Saturday afternoon Homecoming game. They are required to be in the fieldhouse early Saturday for pregame instructions. Many Varsity players do attend the JV home games after a rough Friday night game held on Saturday mornings at 10AM.

"I have talked several students and they all agree with me that it is a stupid idea." Maybe you haven't talked to enough students, maybe you've only talked to your friends who usually agree with you, I don't know. I would suggest to you to talk to several more students, the football players, managers or even the coaches, tell them that several students told you its a stupid idea to play on Friday nights.

"We work on the float all week ....With the game on Friday night, that leaves the class officers and whoever else is helping with the float, more rushed that usual because we will have to have the float done on Thursday so we can all attend the dance on Friday." The football players are lifting and conditioning all winter and through the entire summer vacation and give up the entire month of August. Just to be ready to play
football for the school they love. It's also an extracurricular school activity like "float construction" and takes more than a week.
Just a question, when did they break Norwin Tradition and start holding the dance on Friday night? I thought the tradition was Saturday night.???

"If the game is on Friday, no one in the community will know who wins the float competition either." Yes we will. You could post it on this website for free, along with all the pictures you can take at the parade, did I mention for free? Got any friends on the school newspaper or the Sunday Trib Review? All ways to let us know who won the float competition.

"Students like the rush of the whole day on Saturday." You have got to be kidding, right?

"It has been a tradition for however many years and there has been no complaints." Yes it has been a Tradition but there have been numerous complaints as was evident at the last school board meeting. It's also a topic at all the barbershops in Norwin for many years. You'd be surprised what one can learn at the barbershop about community affairs.

"I also think that if the game is on Friday night, less senior citizens will attend the game because they won't want to be out that late. With the game on Saturday, it doesn't bother them." I really couldn't wait to respond to this one. I'm really insulted by this comment and nothing could be further from the truth. If you ever go to any of the other football games played on Friday nights you won't believe how many senior citizens sitting or standing, shoulder to shoulder and cheering on the Knights of Norwin. Just look across the field sometimes. We even go out after the game, just to talk about the game.
Two more points; I saw many people on the reserve seats side hanging around rehashing the Monroeville game for over an hour after the clock stopped one Friday night this past season. They couldn't wait to thank the players for a well fought game and console them after a very tough loss.
My second point: that Saturday afternoon Homecoming game against the eventual AAAA Sate Champion PCC was the poorest student turnout I had ever seen at Norwin. The student side was pretty empty. Maybe they were just too tired from working on the floats all week. Maybe they were too hot from standing in the sun watching the parade earlier in the day. Maybe they were home getting ready for the big dance that night. I don't know where they were, but I do know this, "You Norwin Students missed one of the best high school football games, if not the best, ever played at Norwin Knights Stadium!" I'm betting it was just because it was a Saturday
afternoon game, JMO!

"Overall, I think changing the game to Friday night is extemely stupid and will break the Norwin tadition.
It's not stupid, it's just time to break with tradition for the best. The American tradition of playing high school football games under "Friday Night Lights" is the only tradition currently broken at Norwin! Let's fix it this season!

As a Norwin Grad and still living here, I haven't heard anything being said about one of the most important things in a school, small town or even a family. TRADITION Homecoming has been on a Saturday for how long now? Maybe we can chalk the heat up to Al Gore and Global Warming, or maybe instead of having homecoming in Sept. Have it later in Oct. Have the parade on Friday evening. Everyone sees Irwin on a Saturday, give the old downtown some business on an evening for once like it used to be. TRADITION Have a community breakfast on gameday at the high school. Oh my, the Cheerleaders already do that.(TRADITION) Play the game a little earlier like JV does. That way the players can get out of there to get ready for the Saturday Night Dance (TRADITION) without killing anyone. I graduated in 1978. Our Homecoming Game was played on Monday Night right after a rain delayed parade. They could have cancelled the parade, but didn't. WHY? TRADITION!!! GO KNIGHTS!

You signed your first reply as "So Sadd!!! I'm not sure which one you preferred to be addressed by???
First of all, you should have stopped with your opening line of, "I would agree that Football players having to play in the heat is tough."
It was the only line in your blog that had something to do with the subject at hand. Friday night games vs Saturday afternoon games.
You sir, went off on a tangent about a totally different subject. Young adults, being babied, staying at home, none of them working, teaching our children, partying, and parents please stop making excuses for our children. All of your comments that have nothing to do with the subject. Please maybe you'll write a new blog on those subjects at a later time.
You don't even know me and you've categorized me as "nasty, one of those all around jocks, and one that cares for no ones comments except their own." All I said was, and I repeat, "Stick to the subject at hand". I do care about the comments of others, that's why I wrote in a comment of my own in the first place and felt it necessary to respond to yours in particular.
The only one with "tone" sir, is you! You sound very angry at Norwin Football players, jocks (your word) and young adults in general. Maybe you've had trouble with your own son or grandson. I'm very sorry, if you've had problems with them. You should have played some type of sport with them to let all that built up anger and tension out, sort of for relief. You just need to chill out a bit and watch some relaxing sports this weekend. I'll be out working, it's one reason why I cherish sports so much, I miss a lot of games traveling around the country. I do love high school and college sports in particular. Sports at those levels, I believe, builds character, teaches comradeship, discipline and they must be good students in order to play. I love it when I read about a student athelete (especially one from Norwin)that moves on to bigger and greater accomplishments in college then in life. I don't appreciate some of the language you wrote (even if you didn't spell it out)in your comment. I don't know what jocks or what they did to destroy everything that you worked for, but that sounds criminal to me and you should have called the police instead of trying to handle it your way. I'll bet you were very angry and let them know it, as you did to me. I certainly don't want to instill that type of behavior in our children. I'm very sorry if I've wasted your time.

Just for the record, I wasn't complaining about the JV squad having to play on Saturdays. One of the reasons they want to change the Homecoming gas is the heat on Saturdays, and I was simply pointing out that the JV squad plays on Saturdays all the time and no one was ever concerned about the heat for them. That's all. BTW....my kid does play varsity!

I just wanted the record to state I CARE!! I respect and appreciate every player, including the JV guys!. Please note, the JV games usually start at 10am, a little earlier then the homecoming games have started in the past, the heat, thankfully hasn't been an issued at that time of day. But YES, someone cares!!! And appreciates the JV squad. And I would support WPIAL sanctioned JV games.

JMO, The only thing so sad is you and your comment!!!
We're talking about playing high school football games on Friday nights versus Saturday afternoons.
You mention "Adult children" (sounds like an oxymoron to me) looking for jobs, never leaving home, partying, stop making excuses for children, sounds like your running for some office to me. BTW, what is your excuse for writing this nonsense?
Let's get back to the subject at hand.
It's obvious to me that you've never played football. You don't get "Babied" on a football field whether it's practice or game time. It's tough enough, don't make it tougher on the players. You only run a risk of heat prostration or even worse, injury due to muscles crampping up due to severe heat and dehydration.
Play football on Friday nights like the majority of the country and let all the "high school kids" even football players, have fun with all Homecoming festivities on Saturday.