The Student Council Association (SCA) planned and hosted a pep rally on Friday, Feb. 2. The whole school was released from class early to watch the winter sports teams get recognized for their hard work, and then the different grade levels competed in a volleyball tournament. The grades played each other in a four-team bracket, with the winner facing off against the teacher team for the ultimate showdown.
Each of the first round games were eight minutes long. The next round was ten minutes, and the final game against the teachers was a 20 minute game.
The first game was the freshman versus the sophomores, with the freshman coming out on top. The following game was the seniors versus the juniors, and the seniors came off of the court victorious. The final grade versus grade matchup was the seniors versus the freshman, and for the second year in a row, the class of 2024 team advanced to the teacher showdown.
Senior Kaley Tomlin is the vice president of the student council. Tomlin spoke about her role in the winter pep rally.
“My role in the planning process is to collaborate with the president and introduce possible activities for the school. During the volleyball pep rally, my responsibility was to help with the scoreboard and to be the DJ and play songs to get all of the students hyped,” said Tomlin.
As a veteran member of the SCA, a member of the cheer team, and simply a member of the student body, Tomlin has seen all sides of pep rallies. She responded on why pep rallies are important.
“While students come to school for academic purposes, I also believe that it is important for students to enjoy being at school and escape the studious realm sometimes,” said Tomlin. “Engaging in games where grade levels can play against each other, and even faculty, brings about a sense of community and elevates school spirit. This also strengthens student-teacher bonds, and makes the school a positive environment overall.”
Senior Katherine Lotts is a member at large on the senior class council. Lotts spoke on her experience at the winter pep rally, and why pep rallies are important.
“I was an announcer and commentator,” said Lotts. “SCA puts on pep rallies as a fun way to raise school spirit and to involve students in school activities.”
The winter pep rally went off without a hitch. The games were smooth and exciting, and most of the teams had full rosters. This participation in the pep rally, along with plenty of students cheering for their classmates, was the reason why the SCA works so hard in the planning process. Involvement and school spirit can be low in the winter time, especially after just being on break for so long, and the winter pep rally helped to revive some of that spirit.
Tomlin spoke on how she thought the pep rally went in retrospect.
“I think the winter pep rally was a blast. Both students and teachers were looking forward to it,” said Tomlin. “During the event, students walked into the gym with smiles on their faces ready to watch their classmates, and ultimately to find out who the winner would be. During the game, students were singing along to the songs, clapping for their teammates or friends, and all around encouraging each other.”
Lotts had similar thoughts on the successes of the event.
“I think the winter pep rally went great, and had great turnout,” said Lotts. “I felt that so many students were involved and excited to be there, and it was a great success!”
Students at RCHS should be on the lookout for when the sign ups go out for any of the pep rallies put on by SCA in the future. The spots fill up fast, so you should not hesitate if you think it would be something that you would enjoy! For any questions involving future pep rallies please reach out to any of the class councils or the executive council.
