Stagg’s girls flag football ignites interest, participation in co-curr

Just a few nights ago for the first time in Stagg High School history, girls Flag Football celebrated their first-ever Senior Night with a 35-8 win against St. Lawrence. Girls flag football is not only new to Stagg, it is new to several other area schools as well.

One of the action steps in Consolidated High School District 230’s Strategic Framework is to increase participation of students with varied backgrounds and interests in co-curricular programs. With co-curricular activities, comes increased investment in school, which can lead to better attendance and an improved grade point average.

In an effort to increase participation in co-curricular activities, Stagg started a girls flag football program and its popularity soared.

Coach Saja Alnajjar played Powder Puff football as part of the Homecoming festivities when she was a student at Stagg, and said, “It’s time. It’s 2023 and we need to move forward with society and have a girls football team.”

Senior Gabriella Skop said, “I like being with the team and learning plays. I honestly enjoyed the preseason and wanted to get out of my comfort zone and do something I wasn’t planning on doing. To me, it doesn’t matter if we win or lose, what matters to me is how well we perform and if we put in our all.”

Alnajjar followed the process to put a team together and nearly 60 girls expressed interest. Some of the girls had never held a football before but they are drawn to it, she said.

“We’ve won a few. We’ve lost a few, and the girls are getting better every week. Despite the outcomes of the games, they are still doing so great. They are building on their skills each and every week,” Alnajjar said.