More than 1,000 Hoover students gather to pray at 2015 See You at the Pole events
More than 1,000 Hoover City Schools students gathered at their schools before classes began this morning to pray for their schools, teachers, fellow students, community and nation.
The prayer times were part of the global See You at the Pole initiative designed to encourage students to gather at their schools’ flagpoles for prayer – all across the world on the same day.
Hoover's middle schools reported the largest turnouts in the city, with more than 300 students showing up at Simmons Middle, about 250 at Berry Middle and about 100 at Bumpus Middle, said Debi DeBoer, the Hoover and Shelby County area leader for First Priority, a Christian organization promoting the gatherings.
Brock's Gap Intermediate School had more than 150 students show up to pray, while Trace Crossings Elementary School reported about 100 students praying, DeBoer said. South Shades Crest Elementary reported 60 to 70 students attended the See You at the Pole event there, and Bluff Park and Riverchase elementary schools each reported about 75 children praying.
About 60 students took part in the prayer event in the courtyard of Spain Park High School this morning. The Spain Park students sang worship songs, broke into groups by grade for prayer and then came back together for more worship and a final prayer before heading off to class.
The event was organized by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and First Priority clubs at the school.
“We think it’s a great way to start off the school year,” said Olivia Pride, a Spain Park 10th-grader who helped lead the sophomores in prayer.
There are a lot of students with different beliefs at school, and this is a way to bring students together and remember to keep God as their main focus during the school year, she said.
Wade Streeter, a senior in the Fellowship of Christian athletes, said the whole purpose of the event was for people to come together, glorify Jesus Christ and lift up prayers for one another and their community.
Students face so much anxiety and stress and personal problems, and it’s important for others to know that people care about them and what happens to them, Streeter said.
Across town, about 45 students gathered in the courtyard at Hoover High School this morning for worship and prayer. The Hoover High event was organized by a student group called Undivided.
“Today’s a day where we just want to pray to our God,” senior Garrett Sager said.
The United States of America is not what it once was, and “at the end of the day, there’s really not much we can do,” Sager said. “It’s really about what He (God) can do through us.”
The students gathered this morning don’t think they’re better than anybody else because they realize that all people are sinners, Sager said. There is too much hate in this world and too many people trying to win arguments than actually following Christ, he said.
“That’s not what Christianity is. It’s love, faith and acceptance,” he said.
Hoover High sophomore Trey Dickey encouraged the students gathered this morning to pray passionately, love earnestly, welcome gladly and serve unselfishly.
Students also gathered for prayer at Rocky Ridge Elementary and the Crossroads alternative school, but numbers were not available.
Across the Birmingham metro area, See You at the Pole gatherings were planned to occur this morning at roughly 250 schools, according to First Priority.
See You at the Pole is held every year on the fourth Wednesday in September. It started at a Texas school in 1990 and has spread across the globe. More than 2 million students typically gather each year for the event.
Learn more about See You at the Pole and First Priority of Alabama.