Ocean Township High School’s (OTHS) USA-themed football game on Sept. 6 brought some controversial branding of red, white and blue. Joined by the usual view of Spartan players, dancers, cheerleaders and athletes, students could see a large “TRUMP 2024” flag proudly hung in front of Ocean Township’s student section, accompanied by several bright red “Make America Great Again” hats.
Several OTHS students took it upon themselves to rebrand the game’s USA theme as an opportunity to advertise their political beliefs, pertinent as ever just two months before the presidential election. While the occasional political campaign hat or T-shirt had often been overlooked in the past, it was the large banner promoting former president Donald Trump’s campaign, seemingly hung to represent the student body, that caused tension among the crowd.
Communications High School senior and OTHS cheerleader Skylar Conner-Bennett felt uncomfortable representing the school because of the political affiliations present at the game.
“I had to continue cheering and acting like nothing was wrong,” Conner-Bennett said. “But I definitely didn’t love staring at that while I was cheering to the student section.”
Conner-Bennett is not alone in her discomfort: as the Field Commander of the school’s marching band, OTHS Class Officer and senior, Reagan Ippolito had a clear, first-hand view of her peers’ demonstration. As student participation among the bleachers can often define a school’s reputation, Ippolito feels misrepresented by the legacy being left by her classmates.
“[The flag] is branding the entire student section and it’s saying ‘This is what we stand for, OTHS,’’’ Ippolito said. “They don’t speak for the student body. That’s dangerous. They don’t speak for me.”
The unconstrained presence of political affiliation at school events begs the question: regarding freedom of speech, how far is too far? Some OTHS students fear that the administration’s refusal to ban campaign merchandise at the scene paves the way for further incidents.
“Where do you draw the line?” Ippolito asked. “What if someone goes further than political affiliation and involves extremist groups? It’s never a good idea to blur the lines of what is and isn’t acceptable.”
The First Amendment gives U.S. citizens the right to express themselves free of limitations on speech or clothing. The State of New Jersey’s Senate Bill No. 1416, however, “Prohibits the display of political campaign signs on any public property.”
OTHS Athletic Director, Howard Todd, did not want to further comment on the presence of political statements at school sanctioned events.
“We do not have any political presence at our football games,” Todd said. “We have addressed our students on this topic.”
OTHS is not the only Monmouth County high school to experience an outbreak of political statements. Students at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) have also noticed political influences at school-sanctioned events, ranging from MAGA hats to costumes of politicians.
RFH sophomore Reagan Gaborow believes such merchandise disrupts the unifying spirit of the game.
“We shouldn’t let the two-party system divide us,” Gaborow said. “We shouldn’t try bringing the two-party system into fun events that are about unity and just enjoying your time.”
While some agree that political displays are disruptive or isolating, others don’t see a problem. RFH sophomore Charles Snyder believes students should be allowed to express their views regardless of the controversy it may cause.
“It’s completely fine,” Snyder said. “It’s freedom of expression; we live in America.”
Conner-Bennett asserts that conflicts concerning differing interpretations of First Amendment rights are not present at CHS.
“I think people respect others’ opinions here. I don’t think that’s the same way at other public high schools,” Conner-Bennett said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate. I think it misrepresented a lot of the people who go to that school because a lot of people don’t support that kind of behavior.”
