What Happened to Pep Rallies?

By: Kira Kipp

10/03/23

Wondering why you haven't received the bell schedule for the homecoming pep rally? That's because this fall, there won’t be one; in fact, the future of pep rallies at LHS is still uncertain.

Everyone knows how pep rally days typically go, lines out the door of the office, everyone's sudden “appointment.” “We have a lot of kids who leave at the end of the day” says LHS executive principal Brett Woodcock. This is one of the biggest issues regarding pep rallies, and the main reason the fall pep rally will not be happening.

For some, pep rallies can be a fun experience. I won't lie, I enjoyed and looked forward to some. I had fun sitting with my friends, joking around, screaming and trying to catch a t-shirt, and half heartedly watching the activities on the field.

Although, on occasion a portion of my friends would leave along with many others, leaving me feeling very bored, unenthusiastic, and overall uninterested. I think this is the case for many students of LHS; because the events of the actual pep rally typically aren't crowd centered, if you don't have friends around it ends up being quite disengaging.

However, the future of pep rallies is not all gloomy. There is an initiative between Woodcock and Varsity club to improve pep rallies. “We've had a lot of discussions on what we can do to improve them moving forward,” Woodcock says. “The big idea for us is just to kind of take a pause from doing pep rallies right now.” It is unclear exactly when the next pep rally will occur, “I would say at some point this year I would like to do something to bring our student body together.”

There may be some hope that the new, revamped pep rallies could be more engaging for all students, improving attendance and the overall student experience. On paper the idea of having students come together to celebrate one another and get excited for upcoming events is great. While the changes to be made are still unclear, work and conversations need to happen to get there.

“So when we do bring it back people know it's new and different… it's not gonna be the same old pep rally” Woodcock says. “I love the idea of pep rallies, I love the idea of celebrating our teams… Finding a way to celebrate the groups we have.”

It's important to remember the intent behind pep rallies, to bring students together and celebrate all the student activities at LHS.