First Rally off With a Roar

Everyone huddled together in the gym, screaming and chanting until their ears rang, students competing to win various games down below, separated by grade but brought together by the paint being passed and smeared everywhere. Knowing this is all the lead up to the homecoming game and dance. Amongst the cheer, spirits between students and staff alike couldn’t be higher. Last Friday, Warhill High hosted its first pep rally of the year to an explosive reaction from all grades alike despite two infamous games missing.
A long-established highlight of pep rallies, it seems that musical chairs and tug of war have been retired from the activity rotation after the shocking events of last year’s game of musical chairs ending in a physical scuffle and the continued controversial tradition of cheating the tug of war games by flooding the gym floor. The previous year’s final pep rally ended on a short note when the then sophomores left their bleachers despite administration’s warnings, making it clear that something would need to finally be done about these two contentious but beloved traditional games.
The rally followed on the heels of an uplifting spirit week leading up to the Homecoming game vs. Tabb High. Starting as they always do with an encouraging word from the SCA, bidding our football team good luck, and an awe-inspiring performance as always from the Lady Lions, it wasn’t immediately clear what changes had been implemented until volunteer students began to line up in front of the aloft spirit stick. In place of musical chairs, and other melodic game had slipped seamlessly in. Slowly, the bar was brought closer and closer to the ground for those flexible few to try and squeeze themselves’ underneath until the Seniors claimed their victory. With a little help, of course.
Afterwards, another two groups of student’s were brought down, lined up on opposing sides of the gym in single file. Instead of handing them a rope to see which side would prevail as the strongest, they were handed a hula hoop each. The two teams would have to pass the hula hoop down the line of them without letting go of the person’s hand beside them before returning the hula hoop to the beginning of the line before the other team. While it wasn’t a test in might, it certainly tested some of the participants’ flexibility as they struggled to squeeze themselves through, sometimes at the same time as the person beside them. The games then came to a dizzying end with the scooter race where the Juniors claimed victory and the rally itself came to a close after another dazzling closing performance before the seniors flooded down into the center to celebrate before being dismissed.
While the absence of tug of war and musical chairs was certainly noticed, their absence was not a total loss cause. Their retirement from the rallies only opened up the possibility of more new and exciting games finding their ways into the rallies to help foster another year of school spirit, pride, and cheer.