The Germantown High School student section wore orange during the Jan. 31 boys varsity basketball game between Germantown and Grafton.
Students wore the orange T-shirts in memory of Josh Davis-Joiner, a member of the Grafton varsity boys basketball team who collapsed and died during a practice Jan. 16. A moment of silence was marked at all North Shore Conference games later that week.
The Jan. 31 was the first time Germantown played Grafton since Davis-Joiner’s death. During an announcement at the school earlier in the day, student section leader Anthony Birch read a statement requesting students take time to honor Davis-Joiner by participating in an “orange out.”
“Please wear an orange shirt and tape or write the number 32 on the back,” Birch said in his announcement, a copy of which was later provided to Express News. “While sports is about competition, tonight is more than that. It is about remembering someone just like us, someone our age and someone who was looking forward to their future just like us. Tonight is about being grateful that we still have what others have lost.  It reminds us how precious and short our time on earth can be.”
Birch then added: “So tonight, even as we compete, let’s be respectful and demonstrate compassion and class throughout the whole event.”
When reached for comment, Principal Joel Farren said that after the announcement he and Athletic Director Jack Klebesadel called various vendors until one was found that was able to deliver 50 blank, orange T-shirts to the school by 2 p.m. After the shirts arrived, Birch came to the school office and made an announcement asking students to decorate the shirts after schools. Several students remained and used black tape to put Davis-Joiner team number 32 on the front of the shirt and his first name on the back. Birch then distributed the shirts prior to the start of the game.
“I am so pleased that our students self-initiated an event of this kind,” Farren said in an email response to the Express News.
—By Thomas J. McKillen, Managing Editor