Clapping, cheering, chants, unity, and excitement are words often used to describe a pep rally. It is what Pennridge hoped to see on Helman Field on November 26 in preparation for their annual Thanksgiving game against Quakertown. Due to rain the morning of, the pep rally transitioned into a celebration of sports teams filmed through a camera in the white gym. The teams included were all varsity fall sports, marching band, cheer, and the senior powderpuff team. The teams were brought from the hall into the gym one by one, where they cheered and celebrated with green and white pompoms. Each entrance was filmed and will be put into a video with each team’s chosen walk-out song alongside a short highlight reel of the team and their season. This was all done in Pennridge’s fourth block for about 40 minutes. After each entrance was filmed, the teams got a photo of the bleachers, and then they moved to the opposite side of the gym, where all the teams sat together, with the football team being the last to join the group. Before they sat down, in an attempt at unity, they started chanting, “The ram is alive,” some of the teams joined the chant, while others were confused about what they were saying.
Chloe Kircher, Pennridge’s student council president, stated before the rally, “Awesome, people are going to be excited, something to look back on and remember from our senior year,” when asked about how this will affect school morale. Due to the pep rally being moved inside, only sports teams were present, along with a few videographers and photographers, but no extra audience, so getting the morale lifted as the student council had hoped was challenging. “We will see how this one goes, and we shall see, definitely in the future, maybe this year, maybe next year,” said Andrew Fantaskey, advisor of Pennridge’s student council, last week on future rallies, “Not sure about this year because of weather, definitely feel like every fall or November thing. . .” The weather did not cooperate this time, and the faculty is unsure whether or not a pep rally will be attempted again this year.
The attempted rally was possible this year due to Abram Hughes, the Class of 2025 house principal, and other advisors working together to make this happen. It was hoped that it would bring a sense of unity and school spirit to the student population. Although there have been pep rallies at Pennridge’s middle and elementary schools, there has not been one at the high school for a few years. Pennridge was hoping to change that this year. This pep rally was not only for the Thanksgiving game but also a chance to unite everyone and foster school spirit in a positive environment. However, due to the change in plans, students and teachers are unsure if that goal was met.