Students took fifth period off Friday, March 14 and took to the gym to attend the spring pep rally. As students funneled through the doors to pop music, they were divided by grade level onto different sets of bleachers.
Senior Krystal Molina started off the event by singing the national anthem, followed by the school band playing in a performance alongside the Patriot dancing team. Different school sports teams also participated in a short segment of the event where groups of tennis, wrestling, basketball and other spring sport students each had entrances running into the gym past the cheer team.
As the introduction to the pep rally calmed down, junior and senior hosts Nina Holt and Natalia Dorn announced to the crowd to reach under their seats. Four people who had stickers placed under them were invited up and each given envelopes, one of which had a special card. Sophomore Kendra Gill received the lucky envelope and won a pair of Apple headphones.
After a week of lunch activities such as the duck hunt and lucky charm games, juniors were leading the battle among grades—the winner of which would win an ice cream party— with two points. The rest of the event would determine who would be the final winner.
With the thought of more prizes, many students from every grade were now eager to participate in the next game. While class presidents picked out students from their grade to play in musical chairs, the freshman parody music video was played on gym screens. As it finished, students began playing at the center of the gym. The game of musical chairs was intense, with chairs being jumped on top of and pulled out from under people, but in the end, freshman Alex Muza won his class the point.
The next game was tug-of-war, and after a matchup between freshmen playing juniors and sophomores playing seniors, the juniors and sophomores won their own first rounds. After emotional reactions after every match, the final round with juniors against sophomores was finally won by the sophomore team.
For the last game, four different teachers representing grade levels and dressed in inflatable costumes ran out into the gym, taking their places next to baseball bats on the ground. As the whistle blew, the four put their heads on the top of the bats and spun in circles, then attempted to race through a path of obstacles and a cup-stacking game. The first one back was English teacher Lisa McDermaid-Roberts, who was representing the freshman team and won them a point.
Still, in the end, juniors came out on top, and after a quick celebration by everyone in a purple t-shirt, the band stood up to play another few songs as everyone left for lunch.
During musical chairs, a sophomore player pulls a chair from another student to stay in the game. He was disqualified and jumped on top of the chair, but still laughing, he was dragged out of the match by a teacher. (Photo/Daniel Harper)
Students in the sophomore section cheer on their team during tug-of-war. Many on the sidelines were very invested in the games, yelling from their seats when their team was losing and cheering when they had the lead. (Photo/Daniel Harper)
