Confetti popping, t-shirt throwing, and rebel-colored balloons were all hallmarks of this year’s Pep Rally. The rally also marked the end of spirit week, as students gathered in the East Gym after ninth period on Friday, September 20, to honor our student-athletes. Many sported blue and orange necklaces, while others cheered wearing rebel-colored face paint. With the underclassmen on one side of the gym and the upperclassmen on the other, the athletes took center stage, uniting the student body.
The tradition of a pep rally dates all the way back to the late 20th century. Students would gather the day before the homecoming football game to cheer on student-athletes. Although South no longer has a football team, this year’s homecoming featured several games against the crosstown rivals North High: Girls Varsity Field Hockey, Boys Varsity Volleyball, and Boys JV Volleyball.
Mr. Morrow, Special Education Department Chair, organized pep rallies and homecoming weekends from the early 2000s to 2010. As the coach for the former South High football team, Mr. Morrow’s main goal was to involve the community in athletic events.
“It’s a lot of organization and really feeds off of the students, as opposed to the people that may be organizing it or running it,” Mr. Morrow said.
From 2004 to 2010, Mr. Morrow organized an annual homecoming carnival in conjunction with the student-run clubs at South High. The carnival also involved the middle school teams. With games such as a bouncy house, a rock climbing wall, and a dunk tank scattered around the fields, the carnival attracted the Great Neck community.
“We had different clubs […] barbecuing, cooking, [and] manning the stations while different coaches coached and different teams played,” Mr. Morrow said. “Everyone flocked to the games, and it was really a great event, something that we want[ed] to continue doing year after year.”
Unfortunately, after the carnival was canceled due to rain and scheduling conflicts, the event came to a halt. Adding to the challenges, the pep rally was put on hold from 2020 to 2021 because of COVID. However, Mr. Morrow remained hopeful that the students would bring back the school spirit when the event was reinstated in 2022.
“I think [the students] try very hard. I think the ones that are involved enjoy [pep rally] and want that big attendance, and the big rah rah, and the people to come and watch and participate,” Mr. Morrow said.
Senior David Feng, captain of the boys Cross Country team, said he wanted to
“spend time with his teammates” and have fun for his last Pep Rally. The Cross Country team walked out with the NFL theme music and a football in their hands.
“We chose the NFL theme because it was just kind of ironic. We’re cross country people,” Feng said.
While the Cross Country team settled on a humorous entrance, the boys Varsity Soccer team wanted to pump up the crowd. The team chose “Headlines” by Drake as their walk-out song. Co-captain senior Dylan Wu loved the atmosphere of the event.“They turn the lights off, all of the students go to it,” Wu said. “The atmosphere is lit. Especially since we don’t have a football team, the boys varsity soccer team is kind of like the football team.”
Senior Elizabeth Liu described the atmosphere as “lively.” She enjoyed watching the rally with her friends and cheering on the teams. However, she believed that the rally could be better.
“I think the players should run on both sides of the gym so that all grades can see the players,” Liu said.
Mr. Morrow also suggested ideas such as extending the Pep Rally to an hour instead of 38 minutes and announcing the names of the seniors in order to engage the crowd.
Mr. Mooney, the girls Basketball JV coach, believes it is important to hold pep rallies for the other sports seasons as well.
“If you have a pep rally to celebrate teams, it shouldn’t just be teams in the fall. We should have a pep rally in the winter and in the spring so that all teams can experience the rally,” Mr. Mooney said.
Regardless, for many athletes, running out of the East Gym with their best friends will be one of many memorable moments from high school.
“There are definitely some things that could be improved on, but at least now I can look back on it fondly,” Feng said. “Because it’s supposed to be fun, and that’s exactly what we did.”
