Arrowhead Shows Support Through Baseball Jersey Spirit Day

Arrowhead students and staff honored Jackson Sparks by wearing baseball jerseys to school on Friday, December 3rd, 2021. Sparks was one of the victims of the Waukesha Christmas Parade on November 21st, 2021. Sparks lost his life due to serious injuries at the age of 8 years old. 

Arrowhead showed their support and took part in “JerseysforJackson” with students and staff wearing baseball jerseys. 

In an email to all students and staff on Thursday, December 2nd, 2021, Becky Gordon, the North Campus associate principal at Arrowhead, said, “In honor of the request and remembrance of Jackson, Student Senate asks that you please wear a baseball jersey to school tomorrow.”

Student Senate plans spirit days at Arrowhead throughout the school year and on Friday, December 3rd, 2021, they hoped all Arrowhead Warhawks would join them in honoring the life of the youngest Waukesha parade victim. 

Kyle Staus, a senior and president of Student Senate at Arrowhead, said, “As a part of the Student Senate, we promoted and participated in the spirit up day for the whole school by wearing jerseys. It was truly honorable and special to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.”

Cassidy Roche, a senior and vice president of Student Senate at Arrowhead, said, “After donating to multiple causes surrounding this horrible event, I thought a simple act like this was an amazing way to remember Jackson that he would have loved.”

Roche said, “It was very special for me to honor the youngest Waukesha Parade victim on Friday with #jerseysforjackson.” 

People willing to learn more about “JerseysforJackson” can go to the link here. 

On December 2nd and 3rd, 2021, Arrowhead flew the American flags at both campuses at half-staff in honor of Sparks. 

Arrowhead wasn’t the only one flying the flags at half-staff. Everyone in Wisconsin was flying the American flag and the Wisconsin flag at half-staff. 

Tony Evers, governor of Wisconsin, passed an Executive Order that said, “The flags of the United States and the State of Wisconsin shall be flown at half-staff, December 2, 2021, in honor of Jackson A. Sparks. The order is effective at sunrise and ends at sunset.” Evers also included in the Executive Order that both flags should be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on the date of each victim’s funeral.

Learn more about the full Executive Order here. 

People attending Sparks’ funeral also wore baseball jerseys. The Carroll University baseball team attended wearing their jerseys as Sparks’ parents requested. 

In the FOX6 Milwaukee article “Jackson Sparks funeral; Waukesha parade victim mourned”, Andy Steikel, member of the Carroll University baseball team said, “We want to show that the Waukesha community is…as a whole, we’re gonna not let this define them[.] We want to show that there’s still good people around, and we’re gonna be here to help each other out, even if you don’t know them personally.

Roche said, “To show my condolences to his family and friends, I wore my Willson Contreras jersey to school and had him in the forefront of my mind all day.”

Wilson Contreas is the baseball catcher for the Chicago Cubs. 

Roche used the jersey day to remember and honor Sparks by having him in her thoughts all day long and showing her support by wearing the baseball jersey of one of her favorite players. 

Students and staff wore all different jerseys to school that day based off of what they had or what they could borrow from a friend. Most of the students wore Brewers jerseys with it being the home team for Wisconsin. 

Staus said, “The jersey day was very special for me and I felt it was very special for the whole school to honor and remember Jackson. I believe it was so special because it is  important to be a part of this communal effort to bring the community together.”