On March 31, the Starr’s Mill track-and-field team hosted their second annual Friday Night Lights meet. The Panthers use this meet as an opportunity to give back to the surrounding community. The day before the meet, the Panthers stayed after the normal school hours to make sandwiches for the homeless, as well as collecting shoes for the less fortunate.

“The big ‘why?’ for this, is that I’m trying to teach the kids a little about acts of service,” head coach Chad Walker said. “[I want to teach them to] have an unselfish attitude and to be thankful for what [they] have.”

One hundred and thirty pairs of shoes were collected and donated, and 350 sandwiches were made. Twenty-five teams participated in the meet and the three teams that collected the most shoes were rewarded with a pizza party.

“The top three teams that give the most shoes get all the pizza they can eat,” Walker said. “It just gives them a little incentive [to donate].”

Panther Stadium hosted the 25 teams that competed in 16 events. On the girls side, Starr’s Mill won first, followed by Marietta High School and Woodward Academy. East Coweta finished at the top for the boys, followed by Marietta and Sandy Creek. The Panthers came in fifth.

“Kids now have a roof over their head and they don’t have to worry about what they’re eating for dinner,” Walker said. “Who knows? Four years from now this could be a huge [event].”