Winter Rally: are you a survivor?
On Jan. 19, Samo students were transported to the Polynesian Islands for the winter survivor-themed Pep Rally. In the days leading up to the rally, students showed their school pride by participating in the survivor spirit days: tourist, tribal gear and camouflage. The Greek theater was decorated with the tiki idols, flowers and island background, much like the set of “Survivor.” The thematic question being: Who would survive? The rally began with an energetic performance from the JV cheerleading squad, who performed their undefeated routine for their upcoming competition. Their flawless performance should surely lead them to victory. Next, the Minions Dance Team got jiggy with it on stage with their striking yellow sweatshirts, followed by the Songs Team and their uplifting hip-hop routine. Next, students participated in the ongoing grade games to gather the most points and win a trip to Boomers! There was the balloon-popping game (which closely resembles the Mario-Kart Balloon Round) where several students from each year tied colored balloons to their ankles and competed to pop each others’ balloon, leaving the last participant as the winner. In the next game, the different classes had a few representatives relaying on stilts around an obstacle several feet away. And of course, the final game of the rally was “Finish the Lyrics,” which has now become a reoccuring game in every rally this year. The seniors showed their overwhelming school pride by winning in all of the competitions and sweeping the board with their abundance of points. Throughout the rally, the boys basketball, girls basketball, boys soccer and girls soccer teams presented themselves and in some cases prepared a skit. Boys and girls basketball faced off in an intense pogo stick match, where the girls came out as victors. Later, boys soccer rocked out to “Te Ves Fatal” on stage, serenading the audience with their clothing-hanger trumpets. Just when everyone was expecting the announcement for the end of rally, ASB surprised Samo with the grand finale of an authentic Polynesian performance, truly enhancing the theme of the rally. Four hula dancers presented the traditional dancing and created a picturesque background for the main act: a fire dancer. The impressive performance began center stage with tricks using one fiery batton, but later advanced to using two. He continued with twirls, dips, kicks and various other mind-blowing and novel techniques, all with the use of fire. The authentic Polynesian performance was a wonderful treat and privilege for students to witness such an amazing live act, all with the fresh fire smell dispersed throughout the Greek. The Survivor Pep Rally was an exciting rally that not only introduced the sports teams for this season, but included students in interactive games and offered an exciting Polynesian show. ASB is now using their experience from the last rally to enhance the experience for students for next time.