From Wednesday November 16 to Wednesday November 23, “school spirit” has been circling through the hallways. The week leading up to the Pep Rally and Thanksgiving is accompanied by four days of spirit wear. The student council comes up with various ideas for spirit day outfits, ranging from “America Day” to “twin day.”
This year's selections were groutfit day, flannel day, America day, and Boston day. Many students expressed annoyance with these selections, as they did not allow as much creativity and expression as as twin day and fancy day.
Although the selected spirit themes were bland for many, their simplicity made it easy for the student body and faculty to follow the restrictions. Spirit week ends with each grade wearing a specific color and the seniors wear their legendary senior shirts. We all file into the field house sporting our class-specific colors and shirts ready for the pep rally.
However, I find myself asking what is the message behind spirit week and the pep rally? Is it to build school morale and connection between the holidays? Is it just an implicit way to make students ready for the Thanksgiving Football game? Or is it RMHS’s own way of conveying what we are thankful for?
Many students look forward to the Pep Rally, as it is the most fun and exciting day of the year. The rally includes
performances by the Color Guard, the Cheerleading Squad, the 2017 “cloffice” (class office) dance, the recap of the fall season by sports teams, chorus, and drama, races involving costumes and piggy backs, and the famous pie in the face for one special teacher- this year Ms. Hagopian was lucky enough to receive a pie in the face. The pep rally has never been that entertaining, yet I still believe the idea of a pep rally has strong merits. It is the one time each year that all grades and most of the faculty are brought together in one room; a statistic that is not all “peppy.”
When asked about the pep rally, Mr. Fiore, who is the football coach, stated that in his mind the purpose of the pep rally “It’s more of a general celebration…[and is] a nice way to spend the last hour before Thanksgiving.” However, when asked about having more school assemblies, Mr. Fiore explained that RMHS does “poorly” in this area. At this moment, the phone rang and Mr. Fiore had to answer it, but stated that he could go on for hours about why more school assemblies are a necessity.
The pep rally stands as a symbol for unity among classes, and a time for students to come together, reflect, and laugh about the past months at school. If the premise of such an event is to offer spirit and a smile on every student’s face, then why do we not continue this tradition with some new different platforms?
Principal Bakr’s speeches are always eloquent, but his description of “kindness” among all at RMHS reigns false, at times. With more school wide assemblies, this kindness and respect can ring true. After all I think this is what being a “rocket” really is, as the entire RMHS community gathers together as one to give thanks for all that we have.
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This year’s pep rally has garnered unprecedented stamps of approval across the student body, displaying the importance of bringing together all grade levels alike to students themselves. This sense of unity came to life this year in a way that past rallies were unable to, as all felt involved in our community.
To the surprise of few, much of the activity was focused on the senior section of the bleachers. Senior victory in all competitions, a few good-hearted “sit down freshmen” chants, a mosh-pit of senior shirts and confetti in the center of the field house, and a plethora of noise makers have become customary for the graduating class. But, this year, the resounding sense of inclusion noted by all is something for the books. Senior Kate McReynolds echoed this togetherness, saying “I felt as though I was connected to the school. It was so fun!” Fellow senior Catherine Grayson elaborated “Especially with Thanksgiving coming up, I was so grateful to be spending time with friends at such a high spirit event.”
This spirit and pride in being a part of the RMHS community was truly at an all time high- the energy in the room was palpable and electric. Even those who have admitted to catching up on Netflix during the pep rally in years past, like senior Siobhãn Dowcett, agreed “This year was so fun! Everyone was so into it, and with everything being geared towards seniors it was definitely more enjoyable.”
Historically, seniors have always had the upper hand during pep rally events, and therefore have sung the rally’s praises to some degree. However, the marked difference between this rally and those of years past was the proactive effort to ensure the enjoyment and incorporation of all. As student council members planned the event, this goal was very much in the forefront of their minds, as senior class officer Kathryn Kalogeris explained “We really tried to unite the school and make everyone included. It wasn’t all about the football team and the cheerleaders, but rather an event to congratulate all of the sports teams alike, and the robotics team.” Their efforts did not go unnoticed- senior Lily Dunn noted “I really liked the addition of the Robockets (RMHS’ robotics team) in this year’s pep rally because it was something different than the typical sports teams.” Sophomore Sophie Lynch agreed “The Robockets were the highlight of the pep rally.”
The inclusion of clubs that have gone largely ignored during the pep rallies of the past transformed into one of the rally’s most buzzed-about aspects. Similarly, the underclassmen became a more central piece of the puzzle as well. Sophomore Olivia D’Amico said “It was a better experience than last year.” Lynch expanded upon this point “This year’s pep rally was better than last year’s by far. I really felt included in all of the action, and the heightened school spirit definitely added to this.”
This year’s reinvigoration of our RMHS core values, respect, responsibility, perseverance, and scholarship, seems to call for the introduction of something more- community. This year’s pep rally clearly showed not only the importance of community, but also our capability to embody this value. We must take the necessary steps in the future to integrate this principle into the everyday experience walking the halls; during this year’s pep rally, we passed with flying colors, red and black, that is.
