School Blog

When thinking of significant days in September, some might be inclined to think of Labor Day, Rosh Hashanah, and even the first day of Autumn. But there is one other significant day in September that some might not be aware of. It’s an event called “See You at the Pole” (SYATP) and it’s held both nationally and internationally on public, private and parochial school campuses on the 4th Wednesday of this month, and it will be held on the South Hills Academy campus on Wednesday, September 27th.

The first time I ever heard about “See You at the Pole” was in a book series I fell in love with when I was in high school called Raise the Flag which follows a group of six (6) Christian teenage girls who are the only students in a school of 5,000 to show up for “See You at the Pole” day. I had never heard of “See You at the Pole,” so, out of sheer curiosity, I did what any good Millennial researcher does and consulted Google. To save you some time, let me answer a few questions you might have regarding SYATP:

What is See You at the Pole? – SYATP is a global movement of prayer which is student-initiated, student-organized, and student-led. This time of prayer, as the name suggests, takes place in front of the school flagpole.

How did this all get started? – SYATP was inspired by a youth group in Burleson, Texas in 1990. The teenagers felt led to go and pray at several area schools during a weekend youth group retreat. They wanted to share their experience with other youths across Texas in the form of a challenge. Of course, when you challenge a teenager to do anything, they immediately want to win, so in September of 1990, more than 45,000 students on 1,200 campuses in Texas and three other states came out and gathered at their respective school flagpoles and prayed. Word of the events spread across America and eventually the movement became an international event in 1991.

Who can participate? – Students of all ages have been the primary participants of “See You at the Pole.” At SHA, students, parents, and faculty are all invited to participate.

We at South Hills Academy hope to see you all at 7:45am on Wednesday, September 27th for this special time of prayer for our students, faculty, and school year. “See You at the Pole!”

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20)