FRANKLIN PIERCE SCHOOL DISTRICT — The mild, dry night of March 1 was filled with Friday night lights and hundreds of cheering supporters, as girls from Franklin Pierce High School and Washington High School faced off for a friendly game of flag football. The convening event was the 3rd Annual Princess Bowl, its primary purpose to raise money for the Franklin Pierce community’s 2013 daffodil float entry. And raise money it did – over seven thousand dollars. An encouraged and welcome byproduct of the event was the community spirit the Princess Bowl fostered.

While Franklin Pierce High School won the travelling trophy with a score of 23 over Washington High’s score of 20, the girls from both teams hugged each other and dined together after the game. Some friendly cross-town rivalry exists, but the Princess Bowl proves that the Franklin Pierce community is not divided. Rather, students and families throughout the district show the community’s solidarity through events like the Princess Bowl, and the eventual creation and exhibition of the community’s float in the annual Daffodil Parade.

While the girls on each team spent many days preparing for the game, boys from each school formed cheer squads. According to the event organizer, Shannon Phillips, each player and cheersquad member invested an average of 25 hours in practice and preparation, yielding a total of 3,000 hours. Additionally, the ROTC volunteered to present the colors, while Washington High’s quartet called “Fully Committed” sang the National Anthem.

Adults volunteered to make the event a success also. According to Phillips, adult volunteers from both high schools – front office staff, athletics staff, coaches, officials, announcers, concessionaires, setup and cleanup teams, ticket booth staff, and many others — came together in a collective effort to make the event run smoothly and ensure that proceeds could be focused on the daffodil float rather than event expenses.

Money raised will translate into what everyone excitedly anticipates will be a fantastic community float. Members of the community are encouraged to volunteer on float preparation. If interested, contact Maiya Heath (rheath2174@msn.com) or Justin Luckman (jluckman@fpschools.org).   Community members are encouraged to attend the Daffodil Parade on Saturday, April 13 to cheer for the Franklin Pierce community floats and other entries from our District’s schools. More information on the upcoming parade can be found at www.thedaffodilfestival.org.