Kate Bartlett, Jennifer Shahin, and the Norristown Blue and White Society have done it again.

As teachers and students seem to always say, this year’s pep rally might be recognized as one of the most memorable pep rallies in the school’s history. While the event started off with similar events from previous years, it also brought in many new and terrific events that were creative and even, at times, touched our hearts.

The pep rally took place in the Norristown Area High School gymnasium. The anticipation was palpable as the newly resurrected Drumline stood stoically in the lobby keeping the beat of students’ excited hearts as they entered.  

As soon as everyone got situated on the gymnasium bleachers and the cameras were ready to snapshot, the JROTC cadets marched in a uniformed line to the middle of the gymnasium along with the select choir. They held flags that will be set in place to represent the school’s colors.

The JROTC and the Select Choir walked out and emcees Tamir Brice and Phillip Anderson introduced the cheer team, a group of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors and their outfits showed a lot of school spirit. This is when the crowd started getting amped and the cheerleading team performed their initiating cheer. The center of the gymnasium was then cleared and the emcees came up with blue sashes to put around the nominated Homecoming Dance couples.

The games commence with a balloon popping game similar to a Mario Kart battle. Cheerleaders then formed two lines facing each other, and the emcees recognized the seniors of the following sports team consecutively: Field Hockey, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, Girls Volleyball, Cross Country, Girls Tennis, Cheerleading, and Football. A lot of noise was made for the football team, considering their big Homecoming game is tomorrow.

After a game of musical rugs, the cheerleading team and the football team performed a self-choreographed dance. Principal Edward Roth, whom many had mistaken for 007 James Bond due to his donning a full black suit and bowtie, made a guest appearance in the middle of the dance and surprised Norristown students with his impeccable lip-sync of the Drake lyrics that blared from the speakers.

This year’s obstacle course demonstrated particular creativity, as it featured  a scooter race, a dizzying bat spin, hurdles, hockey-stick jumps, a high school rendition of the supermarket classic “The floor is lava,” a limbo stick for smurfs, and a basketball layup.  

English teacher Neil Schafer would then take over emceeing duties, as Anderson and Brice raced across the gym with a piece of bathroom equipment sources report each needs to use regularly. There was not an ounce of controversy regarding this race, as everyone believed Brice’s victory was “totally fair.”

The teachers dominated the students in the teacher versus student floor hockey game. One student was able to prevent and outright shutout, but teacher Joseph Sullivan answered that goal immediately with one of his own to make the final score 3-1.

The reason behind Mr. Roth’s dapper suit was revealed when all male principals were presented in elegant attire, and Assistant Principal Jodi Dunston emerged dressed as Aretha Franklin, the beloved performer that passed away recently. This heartbreaking event sparked the idea that Dunson would perform a lip-sync to Aretha Franklin’s famous song, “Respect.” While Dunston performed, Charles Brenner pulled off a hilariously unique saxophone solo.

Teachers of the new Financial Literacy class held a fundraiser, for which people donated money to the club in order to get a principal to kiss a pig. Brenner and Roth were unsurprisingly the final nominees.  Each principal placed a cracker on his lip, and while the pig approached to sniff the delicacy, each went in for the big one. The crowd erupted in laughter, horror, and disgust.

How many schools out there can say that their school featured principals kissing a pig and a resurrection of an inspiring late performer? With new and incredible events for the Homecoming Pep Rally, the spirit of the students at Norristown Area High School will definitely stand strong.