Homecoming week is a time filled with joy, celebration, and tradition. Here at Ankeny High School, one of our greatest traditions is Under the Lights.

“The whole student body kind of goes out together and gets to celebrate homecoming and socialize and have fun together,” said Jeff Bauer, head football coach and strength coach at Ankeny High School.

UTL has been something that high schoolers at AHS have looked forward to for over a decade, a vital part of their high school homecoming week.

“The football game, the dress-up days, UTL, the dance, like, it’s a whole thing. And I love that because I love the traditional high school experience,” Ankeny High School senior and student council vice president Olivia Luna said.

Students take the field

Over 800 students came out to compete in this year’s Under The Lights celebration. Over 60 teams, all with the goal of not only winning, but also having fun.

“Even though it is competitive, it’s still a way for all of us to hang out and have a night together,” Ankeny High School junior Landry Wagner said.

The competition hosts 17 different games, all run by volunteers on the AHS football field. The winning team gets a grand prize, along with prizes for teams who demonstrate good sportsmanship.

“I think that being on the football field really gives the vibe of homecoming with the football game, and the traditional Friday Night Lights vibe and nostalgia,” said Luna.

Apart from serving as an essential homecoming tradition, UTL also offers students a friendly competition. As everyone competes for that grand prize, Little Debbie’s snacks, it’s important for students to remember there is more than one way to win the night.

“I think the true winners are the people who had the most fun and were respectful at all times,” said Dorian Austin, an Ankeny High School sophomore and UTL team captain.

Showing School Spirit

AHS students love the opportunity to let loose and have some fun during UTL, which offers students a chance to show their school spirit

“I see UTL as a good way to get involved and show Ankeny High School pride,” said Faith Shaw, an Ankeny High School senior and UTL veteran.

Some of the ways students love to show their school spirit is through their UTL outfits and preparation. Every team gets uniquely colored shirts, and the opportunity to customize not only their shirts, but a team flag.

“Body paint, definitely my whole outfit,” Tate Dixon, an Ankeny High School junior said when asked about his favorite part of UTL.

UTL offers not only a friendly competition during an exciting week, but lifelong memories with friends and family.

“I know that for many students and staff members, this is their favorite night of the year. I know that many students will look back on high school and probably not remember much, but they’ll remember this,” said English teacher Emina Kovacevic, Ankeny High School student council leader and UTL planner.

The Team behind the Scene

UTL is an essential part of our culture at AHS, but not many people understand what truly goes into setting up and running such a monumental night. For one, each team needs to find a teacher sponsor.

“I’m just one of the teacher sponsors, so I make sure we know what station we’re going to and when,” said Luke Schut, an English teacher and UTL team sponsor.

Without these teachers volunteering their time, UTL just wouldn’t be possible. They make sure each team makes it to each station on time and as a group. But there are other adults who make this amazing night possible.

“I wanted both of my kids to really enjoy UTL, and I wanted to make sure that they had enough volunteers,” Christy Allison, a parent volunteer for UTL night, said.

Parents are the real heroes of UTL. Dozens came out on Sunday to volunteer their time to run the stations, making for a safe and smooth night. Between teachers and parents, over 100 adults got involved to make this night as extraordinary as it was.

Setting up the Tradition

Many got to see the effort that went into running UTL. The teachers, the parents, the student volunteers, but what happened before the lights were turned on, and the teams rushed the field?

“I don’t really think that the students understand, at least I didn’t understand until this year, the coordination that goes into making sure that every station has enough for every team, that everything is set up in the right spot, that there’s enough of everything for everyone,” Luna said.

Student council works tirelessly to put on this night for the school, and when the time comes to set up the games, they answer.

“30-some [student volunteers,] maybe would be my best guess,” Luna said. “Making sure everything was in its right spot, making sure there was enough of everything, and doing inventory of everything. A lot of double-checking,”

All of these students, many of whom were on UTL teams of their own, were working under the hot Sunday sun to set up this tradition. And for weeks before that, they were organizing it all.

“It took so much time to do the rotations because you have to make patterns to kind of make sure people aren’t playing the same teams, and it’s a pain to make sure everyone has all of the stations,” Kovacevic said.

The Main Events

There are so many parts of UTL. The preparation and volunteers, the teams with their flags and outfits, and then there are the games. This year featured 17 different games. Some of these were classics from years past, while for others, this was their debut here at Ankenys UTL games.

“I start with looking at the stations that we did last year, and I asked the student council for feedback on how they think they went and if there’s any we want to switch out,” Kovacevic said.

Some of these games were tic-tac-toe races, bowling, limbo, water balloon catch, and many more. The wide range of games ensured there was fun to be had by everyone.

“I think tug of war is a classic. My favorite probably was the wheelbarrow relay race, that was really fun,” Austin said.

Games like tug of war have always been a fun part of the night, but new events have proven to be popular as well.

“The relay where you had to, like, get dressed. That was fun this year, because people were just sprinting back and forth with their pants halfway on,” Wagner said.

The Importance of Tradition

UTL is one of the school’s largest and most important traditions, sporting hundreds of participants every year. And this year, that number only increased.

“I think we had more teams. We had 65 teams this year,” Kovacevic said.

Students participate in UTL for a variety of reasons. Some play to win. Others play just to have a good time. Some do it to carry on a legacy, and others are forced into it by their friends.

“I wanted to do UTL since my siblings did it years before, and I decided, since none of my friends were gonna make [a UTL team,] I forced them to join mine,” Austin shared.

To compete during UTL, students must form teams of 8 to 12 students. This creates the opportunity to pull together different groups of people. Students who may not have ever spoken now get the chance to work together for a common goal.

“My team was a mix of like, two friend groups from two different grades, but we were all friends, so we just kind of formed one mega group,” Wagner said.

These teams pull together people from different backgrounds, interests, and hobbies. No matter who you are, there’s a place for you in UTL.

“UTL is really a time for people that you don’t know or your friends to get together and come play games and have a good time,” Austin said.