After a shivering morning, Class of 2026 along with their class advisor, Nick Perich, came strong at the 25-26 pep rally. The energy of the event was overwhelming. Even though the class of 2026’s first pep rally was outside for their freshmen year, they maintained positive enthusiasm on the overall event.
To kick off the pep rally, the National Anthem was conducted by choir director Lynne Danoff and sung by Select Choir, and did a wonderful job performing. Meanwhile, JROTC held their flags up at a standstill, exhibiting perfect discipline.
The cheerleaders were fantastic holding up the flyers moving in perfect harmony, displaying grace and confidence, making the crowd louder within every second of their entrance. The football team and cheerleaders then danced together in pairs and wowed the crowd with their engagement.
Additionally, the marching band/color guard was conducted by students, Dario Rojas and Chris Langello. Teacher advisor, Vicki Blum, did an outstanding job on their performance. They stayed in tune, the students falling in love with their smooth-sailing performance.
After the musical performances, the class games began. They started with the races. First, the cones, where they go back and forth, stacking cones on top of each other. Then they ride scooters in the next lap. Finally, contestants had to run to the end of the gym and attempt to shake the ping-pong balls out of a box strapped to their backs. The races ended up being tied between seniors and teachers.
The next game, musical mats, was won by seniors after a high-stakes finale between Mrs. Bissland and a senior, securing them another podium placing.
In a competitive display, the sophomores won the first round of the much-awaited tug of war tournament, ensuring their place in the second round. However, the seniors gave the sophomores stiff competition, leading to an early stop in the second round and leaving the seniors victorious for the moment.
The next round, juniors vs. seniors, resulted in yet another win for the seniors, with the juniors hoping to redeem themselves next year. In the final round, one of the teachers comically attempted to tie the rope around their waist. Quickly, the teachers overthrew the seniors in one of the fastest wins ever seen.
“That was the easiest win ever,” Mr. Desalvo exclaimed.
After the games were over the student body energetically welcomed the upcoming homecoming court, including Maya Morris, Dario Rojas-Zurita, Precious Adeshokan, Ashley Greene, Jimi Trejo-Velazquez, Ife Bamisola, Jalen Traylor, Madison Kelly, Shawn Thompson, and Ihassan Moore.
The homecoming king and queen will be announced at the upcoming homecoming football game, starting tonight at 7 PM.
In the end, even though juniors and freshmen did not participate much, the spirit of the pep rally still ran high. The event ultimately achieved its goal to bring together all grades with school pride. Overall, it was a very successful pep rally, and we hope the next one will be just as great!
