Pep rallies are the embodiment of school pride. This one, that was the culmination of spirit week and a launch into homecoming, was no exception, despite the poor weather. Even throughout the myriad of troubles that disrupted the order ordinarily attached to the event, school spirit shined through in every aspect.
The annual pre-homecoming pep rally was held Oct. 22 with more tribulations than usual. The less than ideal conditions can be attributed to a conflict in the form of a sudden wave of rain that forced the action indoors, dividing the school by classes connected only by a videographic live stream.
The rain was also a colossal inconvenience. Although the daily forecast had predicted showers, the sky had looked picturesque all day. The sun shined through ominous clouds of gray bright enough to warrant positivity amongst students, even prompting some performing groups to practice on the field just minutes before the pep rally was scheduled to begin. Yet, when everything seemed to be settled, the clouds released a rain that shuttled the school’s population indoors. The grim forecast necessitated a backup plan.
For the SGA, who put on the event, the audible to go indoors was inconvenient but necessary. Forecasts from earlier in the week had foretold a downpour, so they had already had a plan set up for the scenario. The weather had been picturesque for the entire day up until eighth period, causing the SGA to set up on the field. By the time the clouds took their menacing turn, the supplies were already set up outside. With the monsoon of rain it would have been unmanageable to keep the rally outdoors, leaving little doubt on what their next course of action had to be. “Most of our preparations were contingent on [the pep rally] being outside, but the last minute change in location changed our plans and caused sort of a last minute scramble. But we were able to make it work,” junior SGA member Justin Slud said.
The pep rally itself also was not without mishaps. While the rain forced upperclassmen into the gym, it shuttered the sophomores and freshmen into the auditorium. They had to watch the proceedings from a projector screen; the plan was to videotape the events in the gym and live stream them to the auditorium. The execution of this plan was less than ideal, as the video kept buffering and the sound came out muffled and diluted. The experience left most students feeling unimpressed. “The video was freezing every other minute, and you couldn’t hear anything. Even when you could hear the audio was awful,” sophomore Nema Kafka said.
Despite the dilemmas, the rally went on. Groups ranging from The Chromatics to The Woottonettes performed, and the homecoming courts were clarified. The crowds in the gym cheered as loud as ever, with the seniors, as per usual, taking the class donation for being the loudest. Although the rain could keep the school indoors, it could not keep the school quiet. “This was a fantastic way for our school to unite,” said junior Jason Eisen.
Peter Hechler
News Editor
