The jersey exchange
Every game day this season, Putnam North football players pick a teacher, administrator, counselor, school nurse or janitor to wear their jersey for the day.
First-year Putnam North principal Carole Buhr has been pestering senior linebacker Will Taylor about his attire.
She wants to know when she gets to wear it.
“When are you going to let me wear your jersey?” Buhr asks the senior captain. “I’m the principal, you gotta let me wear it.”
Taylor smiles and shows his empty hands to Buhr, indicating he had already given his No. 30 jersey away to someone else.
“I’ve got a list Mrs. Buhr,” he said. “Lots of people want to wear my jersey.”
There is a simple message going around the halls of Putnam City North: We are in this together.
Every game day this season, the Panther football players have spread out through the halls, classrooms and cafeteria to pick a teacher, administrator, counselor, school nurse or janitor to wear their jersey for the day.
The person they pick then not only wears that jersey during the school day, but makes a pledge to come support and cheer for that player at the game that night.
“I was wanting something that was going to bring faculty to games,” head coach Ryan Laverty said of the jersey exchange idea. “That might be the only person that will come and watch that kid that night. But I wanted something that will boost school spirit and bring a football bond to the teacher.”
The idea has taken off. Players call dibs on teachers they want in practice huddles, arguing about who gets to give their jersey to a favorite teachers first.
“The smile on their face when they get it is awesome,” said senior defensive tackle Juan Macedo. “I think a lot of them, some don’t expect to get it or maybe think they wouldn’t get it from certain guys. But we just want to show them we appreciate them.”
For teachers like Bill Atkins, who teaches Algebra for freshmen and sophomores, he never expected to get a jersey. He feared he was the disliked math teacher.
Lo and behold, each week a football player has made their way to his room.
“I was flattered,” Atkins said. “I never played football, but I love it. Maybe they could tell that I was a fan.”
Atkins said since the jersey exchange program started this year, the football players he teaches have started doing better in his class, both academically and behavior-wise.
“I don’t feel popular as a math teacher,” he said. “But this feels very cool. It’s hard to inspire and motivate kids. But getting to partner with football, it’s kinda helped unite us.”
That sentiment is shared throughout the school.
“Getting to display their jersey and their number gives me this connection with them,” said AP European History teacher Mollie Brue. “When I put that jersey on and cheer for them at the game, I feel like we are getting to represent our kids in a way we haven’t been able to before.”
The players can feel the level of passion for Panther football rising as well.
This group of seniors were 0-9 as freshmen. They followed that up as sophomores with a 1-9 record.
Last season, Putnam North’s varsity went 3-7.
“Going into games people used to doubt us all the time,” Macedo said. “Even the band used to predict us to lose.”
But since Putnam North started the jersey exchange, the passion and expectations of the team have picked up.
Putnam North heads into a game with Southmoore on Friday with a 4-0 record. The Panther have packed the stands with red and gold each week and the school is buzzing with football spirit again for the first time in a long while.
“I looked up in the stands after a touchdown and there was one of my teachers wearing my jersey and celebrating,” said senior receiver Jamal Jeffers. “That felt incredible. I think that’s only a feeling the pros get.
“I think everybody feels 4-0 right now.”
The expectation level has been raised at Putnam North, and the Panthers through four games this year are doing their best to deliver.
“We just want everyone to feel a part of this,” said Laverty. “To see the stands packed lets our guys know that people care about them. And our kids let the teachers know how much they appreciate them with the jerseys.”
Principal Buhr caught Will Taylor again this past week to inquire about when she’ll get to wear his No. 30.
“I’ve got an idea,” Buhr said. “I want to reserve a date.”
Taylor listened intently.
“I want week 12,” Buhr said, indicating she wanted the second week of the state playoffs. “Because I know we are going to get there.” Taylor smiled. That’s a deal.