With students from all grades waiting eagerly in the stands, junior Dylan Bartlett, the pep rally emcee, draws the attention of the crowd in the press box up above. Student Government selected Bartlett to be the voice of the pep rally, knowing he would bring spirit and energy that the crowd needed in preparation of the September 26th football game against Brownsburg. Bartlett believed his role was crucial to getting the crowd engaged and the energy up, which he believes is the reason why pep rallies are great ways to bring high schools together.
“It really takes the whole student body as a collective effort for the best possible pep rally. Pep rallies are important for school spirit and bringing students to our athletic events. [Pep rallies] collectively just hype up the student body and get them excited for these events,” Bartlett said.
Accompanying a strong start from the emcee, the Westfield High School choir came together to sing “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen before the pep rally. Junior Greta Smith, representing Signature Sound choir, discusses how they practiced in preparation.
“We’ve been working on this song since the fall concert so we had already been pretty prepared. We used our class time by either rehearsing as a class, or splitting into voice parts in the practice rooms. I think…having students be part of the entertainment celebrates and showcases the talent of the performing arts programs at our school,” Smith said.
After a crowd-unifying moment, each class was invited to represent their grade in tug of war and musical chairs. With each grade competing against each other, the pressure was on to win — especially for the seniors, organized by senior Ella Jenkins.
“[Our] strategy for tug of war was to say ‘heave, ho’ and tug at the same time, but that didn’t happen…and somehow pulled through,” Jenkins said.
Following an astounding performance from the “battle of the classes,” the clubs take their own take on the water bucket relay, dizzy bat run and football field race. Specifically, the dizzy bucket race included competition from all 5 clubs and a winning appearance by the Men’s Club Rugby Team, represented by sophomore Pierson Raley.
“The most challenging part of the race was trying not to embarrass myself. Overall, my favorite part of the battle of the classes is seeing the people they chose to compete,” Raley said.
One club in particular, Dance Marathon, took their own take on their spirited games with a teacher “pie in the face.” Their pie in the face; however, took the contest to the next level and asked students to participate by donating money to their cause – Riley Children’s Hospital. Senior Ellen Volz joined in by organizing the money donated to the participating teachers, which was won by $1,040.11 from science teacher Jeffrey Bennett from the overall total of $2,212.48.
“The pie in the face event definitely helped amplify the hype at the rally, because who doesn’t want to see someone get pied in the face, especially one of their chemistry teachers. Bennett didn’t just rely on students’ donations, but he also effectively utilized connections he had on social media to network and fundraise as well,” Volz said.
To end off the hour, the Rocks Spirit Club were brought out the close out the day with thanks to the audience and advertisement for the homecoming football game. Senior Sam Strahm, a Rocks Boy, elaborates on their excitement and plan for the upcoming game.
“The pep rally made me super excited for the game because I was a part of it this year, and for the younger classes it shows that homecoming is a super big game where you have to bring a lot of energy. The pep rally just illustrates that homecoming is the best game of the year and one where no matter how the game goes, it’s a fun time,” Strahm said.
