Behind the pep rallies: Student Council works to coordinate school spirit

The excitement in the air as the loud cheers began, the trumpets blew, and the sounds of stopping hit the floor — it's pep rally time.

Pep rallies are a time when everyone combines, and the student council comes together and plans for the pep rallies. The fall season of pep rallies just wrapped up last week.

“Student council's role in the pep rallies is to promote spirit through games,” teacher and Student Council sponsor Daja Powell said. “We are also in charge of the pep rally posters.” 

Senior Sophia Snider actively attends pep rallies and enjoys the atmosphere. 

 “I enjoy pep rallies a lot. Obviously, they’ve changed a few things this year, but I think it gives everybody a sense of community,” Snider said. “It’s just overall really fun, especially with the performance and the games.”

Student council senior president Amerie Morales is the leader of the officers who coordinates the pep rallies.  

“We’ll get previous games before and then kind of plan on that,” Morales said.

The Student Council collaborates with other groups to come up with ideas for the pep rallies. 

 “Actually had to plan the themes before the school year started, so we had two people from the senior officers and we had people from Bells and the cheer team,” Morales said.” We had a spirit team that we all liked,  coordinated with each other, and gave our ideas.”

 Each class has a grade-specific poster to help students find their spots and foster a positive class environment.

 “At the beginning of the school year, we have each class design their grade level poster, so that everyone knows where to sit and kind of promote, you know, just a strong campus culture within each class,” Powell said.

Students who show up every day are getting a bonus for being present by earning a wristband to come to the pep rallies. 

“We have attendance requirements, so people who are going to class, it's a way to allow those people to feel acknowledged,” Morales said.

 Senior Jeyden Ruiz attended the pep rally. They liked the joy, the games and activities, and the excitement they felt when the spirit stick was brought to them. 

 “It was definitely nerve-wracking, and I definitely got booed when I was in the top there, but it was fun. I enjoyed the whole experience,” Ruiz said. “I enjoy that so much. I feel like that's the biggest part of the pep rally.”