Leonia Day
On September 19, 2023, Leonia High School hosted the first official Leonia Day. Brainchild of Mr. Luke Muller, physical education teacher and boys’ soccer coach, the day served as a “kickoff” day for not only fall sports, but the whole school year. The food trucks and DJ arrived at 3:00 p.m outside of Leonia High School. Girls’ soccer, girls’ volleyball, and girls’ tennis all started their games at 4:00 p.m. The boys’ soccer game began at 7:00 p.m. and closed out the long day.
By attending Leonia Day, students could earn Minga points and buy food to help support the senior class. For all the food purchased, a percentage of the money got sent back to the school and is going to be used to help fund Senior Week.
The new superintendent, Dr. Gatens, also attended Leonia Day and shared his thoughts on the event. “The weather is great, the kids are having a good time, Leo, the school mascot, is here,” stated Dr. Gatens, “We have soccer matches going on, we have tennis, we have volleyball, we have food trucks, we have a DJ. What more could you want?”
Similarly, Mr. Krajcsovics, the girl’s soccer coach, also had nothing but positive thoughts about Leonia Day. “The first Leonia Day was a great opportunity to bring the community together and show some school spirit. Add in the food trucks, ice cream, and music, and what you experienced was excitement for Leonia High School and our athletic programs that I haven’t seen in quite some time. Kudos to the organizers!”
Sophomore Patrik Pascual said, “I loved the event! The overall energy of the event was so exciting and I had the most amazing time of my life. Especially at nighttime when I played volleyball with friends! It made the night even better.” He also shared a few opinions on the food that was available: “The food was great. I got the katsu curry from Rolling Yatai. They were so good! However, I do not like the price. Too expensive!”
The day ended with victories for the girls teams and the players are looking forward to the rest of the season. The first annual Leonia Day was a huge success that brought students and faculty together in a great show of school spirit. See you there next year!
photo credits: Daylin Martinez ’24
