A kalediscope of school spirit lightsup the gym in Winter Rally
Photos by Manny Lopez and Martin Ledford
On Feb. 7, students gathered in the North gym for the first battle of the grades pep rally. The rally was split up into sections: Freshman v. Sophomore and Junior v. Senior, energy and excitement had been building up throughout the week leading to the event, with active participation spirit days.
Planning for the rally began immediately after the Homecoming rally was held. In the weeks leading up to the event, extensive preparation was involved. Tegan Blaine (’26) and Andrea Campos (’ '27) the ASB spirit leaders took charge of organizing the rally and spirit days. They held multiple brainstorming sessions with the ASB class, discussing ideas, finalizing details and gauging interest from their peers. These conversations helped refine the schedule and activities, ensuring a smooth and successful event. Additionally, they organized rehearsals, and much prior planning and communication with participants of the rally to fine-tune performances and guarantee everyone was on the same page, providing more participation from the classes.
“The winter rally involves the most preparation because we get the first two rallies pretty close together, and then we get all the way through October, November, December and January to plan more rallies,” Blaine said. “It's a lot of work, but it's spread over a long time, and the bulk of the work is preparing ASB students to be able to execute everything effectively.”
Students participated in a variety of themed days, each adding a unique and fun element to the school days. The week kicked off with Pajama Day, where students were able to show up in their coziest outfits. Twin Day was on Tuesday, then Student Staff Swap and Anything But a Backpack. Finally, the week wrapped up with Class Colors, where each grade wore a designated color to show their school pride, Freshman yellow, Sophomore gray, Junior blue and Senior white. Each day brought a new sense of unity, creativity and enthusiasm to students, setting the tone for the rally itself.
Additionally, the ASB class coordinated with Running with Speakers, which helped manage the sound and music throughout the event. Their support in setting up and maintaining the audio ensured the rally’s energy remained high and that every game and announcement was heard clearly by students. Their contributions helped create a well-executed rally with ASB. Jackson Lundberg (’25), the Technical Director of Running with Speakers, believes their contributions were essential to the rally’s success.
“Set-up for most pep rallies is usually a 3-day process, we do our best to prepare by just ensuring we have the manpower to get the set-up done in the limited time given. Running with Speakers is pretty fun, I get to work behind the scenes at almost every event done by students including things like concerts and such,” said Lundberg.
The collaboration between ASB and Running with Speakers played a crucial role in maintaining high enthusiasm throughout the rally. Blaine shared that despite some challenges, the energy at the rally was undeniable. The event brought students from all grades together, cheering and clapping for each event, and showing their school spirit and enthusiasm. Games like Hungry Hungry Hippos, dodgeball, Keep the Balloon Up and the traditional Finish the Lyric kept everyone engaged and energized throughout the rally. While the rally was a success, Blaine recognized areas for improvement, particularly in the execution of the games and coordination of spirit days. She felt these aspects could be adjusted to provide an even more exciting and smoother experience next time.
“I think overall, there are always mistakes, but the hype was there… What needs work is definitely the games. I think we should have explained them better. We also wanted a risk factor, so the students would stay engaged. I also think the spirit days could improve, I want to see more participation in the future, we’re going to start taking student suggestions,” said Blaine.
The ASB team played a key role in making a successful rally. Students worked together to set up decorations, organize the event, and assist during the games. Kylie Pytlarz (’26) the Vice President of the Junior Class in ASB believes the rally was successful and is happy to see how ASB helped create this event.
“I think ASB and myself work really hard to get the pep rallies together. Though they can be difficult to execute effectively, it's always fun to see how it turns out and see other students having a good time,” said Pytlarz.