Pep rally returns after three years

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Deniz Karakus, news editor

GHS had not held a pep rally since 2019, but that changed on Nov. 18.

Mrs. Faith Stapleton, Student Council sponsor, explained the reasoning for the recent pep rally.

“Our reason to planning a pep rally was to introduce winter sports and recognize them, along with getting students pumped for their fellow classmates. We had activities that our Student Council representatives came up with to involve the student body,” Mrs. Stapleton said.

The week of the pep rally, representatives had lunch activities planned to get students pumped for the pep rally.

“We needed a way to get the students pumped for the pep rally, so we had each class representative come up with an activity to do at lunch. The most spirited lunch activity was the roll eating competition because everyone was cheering for their classmates. Getting students excited brought more spirit at the pep rally,” Mrs. Stapleton said.

Principle Mr. Michael Gasaway anticipates more spirit from students in future pep rallies.

“This being the first pep rally of the year, I thought it was a decent start. I was expecting more spirit from the students, but I also understand that they didn’t have a pep rally before. The junior class was on top with the spirit. They were the loudest of all the classes and the most spirited from the spirit stick. I was kind of disappointed with the seniors because it’s their last year and I was expecting a lot more spirit,” Mr. Gasaway said.

The next pep rally will take place in the spring.

“In the future, I am wanting at least three a year. Instead of most traditional pep rallies being for athletics, I want them to be more for the students. I want them before breaks to let students go into break in a fun way. I am wanting each class to be in their class colors and students standing up rather than sitting to show more spirit,” Mr. Gasaway said.

Junior Jackson Simms, STUCO representative, talks about preparations and struggles they had to overcome.

“It took about a week or two to plan the entire pep rally. There were a lot of smaller jobs which had to be completed in order for the pep rally to happen. For the next pep rally we are planning on having the microphones set in place because they kept going in and out during the rally, so we are hoping to find a solution,” Simms said.

Senior Amelia Bailey participated in the blanket race.   

“My favorite part was racing down in the blanket trying to get my team to win. The blanket race was really fun, but my teammates fell so we lost. I wish there were more activities for people to participate in,” Bailey said.

Freshman Jeremiah Carter explains his opinion on the pep rally.

“My favorite thing about the pep rally was spending time with friends because we got a good laugh out of it. I had lots of memories I shared with my friends. Overall, I thought the pep rally was really fun especially the blanket race. I wish there was music to get students hyped up more. I’m hoping to see more activities next time,” Carter said.

Junior Brooklyn Bell talks about her favorite part.

“The juniors taking a fat W against the whole school was awesome because we are number one. The blanket race was awesome, my group was the best by far and shout out to my team because they pulled me with all they got,” Bell said.