This year’s pep rally made an effort to be more “student-oriented,” but students have reported varied views.
“Mediocre.” “Exciting.” “Pretty good.” “Morale-boosting.” These were the reports from students and staff when asked to describe our annual pep rally. During periods 9 and 10 on Friday, October 10, the entire student body watched or participated in the pep rally which, according to some students, upstaged its predecessor. “It was definitely way more successful than last year,” said senior and student council board member, Ansh Agarwal. But it seems not all students feel that way.
The pep-rally, which was once solely sport-oriented, has, and will continue to, shift its focus to the general student body, said Student Council advisor, Caryn Brogan. According to Brogan, students who don’t play sports, but rather are a part of a club or organization, were given the chance to display their talents alongside sports teams during the pep rally.
During this year’s rally, the Art and Mixed Media club created an art project in front of the student body, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes held a brief segment in which they spoke about their club, and several other clubs received a shout out. Other events included a T-shirt toss (courtesy of the Sophomore Executive Board), tennis ball toss (courtesy of the Girls Tennis Team), minute-to-in-it Games (courtesy of Student Council) and a karaoke performance from the Boys Varsity Football Team. There was an overall reduction in club and sports performances.
“I thought it was pretty good,” said sophomore Calli Williams, even though she said that the crowd was unenthusiastic. “That’s what made it a little worse,” said Williams. However, she said that the events of last year and this year were pretty equal. “I enjoyed both of them,” Williams stated.
Based on student interviews, participation in the rally improved their experience. Fellow sophomore and Girls Junior Varsity volleyball player, Alyssandra Tran, said, “This year, I was actually in the field for volleyball, so I think it was pretty fun.” Conversely, Tran said last year’s rally, in which she didn’t participate, was “hot and miserable.”
Kennedy Dewitt, a freshman, also shared her take. “I think that there’s a lot of good stuff going on. The games were really fun, and I wish I had joined some of them,” Dewitt said. She went on to add that the event was loud and cheerful.
The organizers see the potential of the event. “I do enjoy hosting and having the pep rally because it gets the school spirit up,” event organizer, Brogan said. “I think that the pep rally is just a great way to get the entire student body involved. Really when you think about it, it’s the only event that involves every single student and faculty member” Brogan stated.
With over 2,000 students at HHS, Brogan shared that the focus on the Pep Rally is more student engagement. “Our goal is to get as many people involved with the pep rally as we possibly can,” said Brogan. “Every year we try to do something that includes the students a little more. This year with the minute-to-win-it games and having more involvement from the student body. Students that aren’t necessarily playing sports, but are just a member of a club or an organization, and they still want to do something to be involved in the pep rally.”
