With the advent of social media, supporting your favorite sports teams has never been easier—and the Great Falls Public School system is making the most of it.
“The Great Falls public high school sports fan photo contest is all about boosting social media engagement and supporting our local high school sports,” said Leigh Larson, Interim GFPS Community Coordinator.
Quentin Shores reports - watch the video here:
Fans are encouraged to snap photos at GFPS events—from basketball games to track meets—and tag themselves, their friends, and Great Falls Public Schools on social media. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 70% of high school students now report regular social media use, so GFPS is offering a new way to engage the community and celebrate local teams.
Prizes provide extra incentive. "Play it Again Sports, gift cards, Great Harvest gift cards. Bighorn Outdoor. We have date night for all the parents that have given up their Friday nights, for their student athlete children. We have date night gift cards for you,” added Larson.
There are three entry categories: “Fanatic Family” for spirited families, “High School Homies” for groups of students showing their school pride, and “Date Night” for couples and parents cheering on student athletes. Prizes include free oil changes and restaurant gift cards, and the contest deadline is May 14th.
“When you think about how many community members come to support us, it's everybody. And they're giving up their time, for practices, for games. And we wanted to make sure that the fans felt celebrated, too,” Larson said.
Entering is as easy as uploading your photo, tagging GFPS, and using the hashtag for your category; winners will be featured online.
“And if you guys like this, we should continue this, you know, we'll find other ways. You know, we'll do winter sports and spring sports and fine arts. I mean, there's a lot of different ways this could go,” Larson suggested.
With spring sports now in full swing and local pride taking over social media, GFPS hopes this photo contest is just the start of a new tradition of celebrating school spirit online.
