The entire week culminated to this moment. The moment the entire school was waiting for. The moment when the entire school would come together to celebrate their achievements. The homecoming pep rally had arrived.
“It was an exciting atmosphere, and the school spirit in the room was exciting!” recalled senior Zayra Cano Correa, excited to be attending her senior homecoming pep rally.
To open the morning, cheerleading flipped into action, chanting school pride. As they cheered their heart out, the school rallied behind them, chanting along. Every cheerleader looked ecstatic, smiling for their school. Eve Brisk stated how her favorite part of cheering is, “cheering with the same friends since middle school.”
After they concluded their performance, the battle of the grades began, starting with musical chairs. As students fought to keep their chairs, pushing each other off, the freshmen eventually came out on top, reigning victory. Tug of war followed, with juniors and seniors dominating their opponents, the football team-filled line of seniors ripping up the flooring. After the two went back and forth, the juniors got the best of the seniors, earning their chance to fight against the staff. It wasn’t a fair competition though, as the staff quickly outmuscled the juniors, putting them in their place.
Many performances also took the stage, with dance firing up the crowd with their sequences. Student Alexa Fuentes expressed how happy she was performing for the school, and how proud she was of everyone involved. The American Sign Language (ASL) class also performed for the school, reviving a Cypress tradition that was lost. Kandis Alfonso, the head ASL teacher, voiced how much she loved bringing this back to the pep rally.
“I was so happy when Mrs. Hetzler-Nettles allowed us to come back. I’m really excited to see how things go today.”
The pep rally raged on, and as classes chanted back and forth, it was time for the soccer match with a twist, implementing inflatable Zorb Hamster Balls. Between students bumping into each other, crashing onto the floor, and students kicking the ball into the stands, the freshmen came out on top, winning it all. The newest class on the campus was on a roll, and it seemed like the spirit stick would soon be in their hands; in a couple of minutes, that would prove to be true. With Hetzler-Nettles doing her rounds across the gym, the floor started shaking as classes cheered for the prize. Hetzler-Nettles started her way to the freshmen, and as soon as she strode over, the class started an uproar. Between winning many games and being the loudest section of the morning, the freshmen rightfully won the spirit stick.
Freshman Tavin Groomes ran onto the court along with the rest of the freshman class, claiming their prize. The walls started to shake as the class stormed the stage. “It’s amazing! It’s our first time winning the stick!”
Even though only the freshmen won, the mood was still high throughout the day, with the homecoming game that night, and the dance the following night. It was a packed weekend full of celebration, and it was only the beginning.
“I think the homecoming pep rally had the most spirit I had seen in years!” exclaimed senior Abby Outtrim.
