On Oct. 6, the Get Groovy Club performed their debut dance at the homecoming pep rally. The performance featured a slew of different songs and dances choreographed by poms members junior Ashi Stanislaus, junior Madeline Eig, and senior Lily King. Though the fun, light-spirited mood of the group has stayed the same, their name hasn’t. Since the start, the group has been known as the Woottonettes but had to change their name to the Get Groovy Club in response to Principal Doug Nelson’s request.
Last school year, the club faced the threat of being disbanded due to the influx of new teachers and administrators who didn’t understand the importance of the Woottonettes as a form of school spirit. The school-inappropriate clothing and suggestive dance moves have been previously cited as reasons for shutting down the club, but as of last year, Nelson said he hadn’t planned on disbanding the group.
Though their new name might cause debate in the school community, their ability to bring school spirit and energy to the pep rallies is still an important part of who they are. The silly dances and lack of coordination of the dancers brought laughter to the crowd at the pep rally. They featured several dances including a kick line, jazz hands, and even a flip by sophomore Cyrus Kaz. Although they had limited practice, they attempted to dance in unison until the end of their routine, where they ended by jumping around and chanting together. The tradition of Woottonettes has been an iconic part of the school’s spirit and something students look forward to for pep rallies. The “Get Groovy Club is important to Wootton because it is funny to watch,” junior Maddie Mathews said.
The group is run by seniors and is passed down to the younger generations to keep the group going, which signifies the importance of the group and its meaning to the school. This long-lasting tradition is valued by students for the enthusiasm it brings to school events. “It adds a fun addition to our pep rallies and unifies two groups that are the poms who coach us and us the boys,” sophomore and Get Groovy Club member Kaz said.
The Get Groovy Club maintains the same funny dances, but the change in their name indicates there could be more restrictions on the group. Members don’t know what caused their name to be changed or even who organized the change in the name. The name going from Woottonettes to the Get Groovy Club changes the informal dance team to become a club, which makes it more inclusive to all students. As of now, the Get Groovy Club has only male members but the club is available to all students.
Since in the past clothing and dances were cause for concern for the administration, this could be an issue for the group. In 2017, the group performed at POTH and the administration wasn’t supportive of their suit jackets with nothing underneath or their vulgar dance moves, which caused the future of the Woottonettes to be uncertain. New heads of administration like Nelson didn’t share this opinion on the group and have allowed them to continue performing.
The Get Groovy Club is staying strong and is planning to continue performing at school events. Their presence at events is an important part of the school culture and would be the end of a long school tradition if they were disbanded. “The Get Groovy Club should not be banned because it is a fun tradition and people really enjoy watching the dances they perform every year and look forward to it,” sophomore Jilli Nalibotsky said.
