"I Believe That We Will Win" : Different Viewpoints on Pep Rallies

School spirit! Gotta have it to enjoy school. When we think of school spirit, we can picture students cheering for each other at sports games, dressing up in their school colors, waving around banners and flags, and overall, having a good time. 

With all the pressure high schoolers face nowadays, it is necessary to have some fun and stay positive with your school and community. Marc Anthony, an American singer and actor once said, “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day of your life.”  Of course that’s easy for him to say. He’s a celebrity with a great career. But I really like this quote, because it inspires us to do what we love. 

I know there will definitely be times in school where we will be forced to work on something we hate, and there will be times when we don’t feel like going. But with a little school spirit mixed in, this can give students and even teachers the motivation to work hard for their school, and to be proud of who they are. With school spirit and pride in our school, we can all feel a bit happier going to school without dreading the thought of being there every morning. And what better way to increase school spirit than with a good ol’ fashion pep rally.

One of my fondest memories in high school was my junior year pep rally. It was indoors, and every student in the school was crowded into the gym. Lots of kids were excited to be there, while some others, like me, were initially just glad that we got to leave class early.

Up until the moment of the pep rally, I was in a bad mood. Most of my grades for the quarter at the time were not looking good, and I had a bunch of homework to do that weekend. I just wanted to go home from school and rest like always. All of my friends were with their own friends, so I sat in a random spot on the bleachers next to the stairs. Then, the pep rally started.

What happened after that was absolutely stunning. Students were cheering for every sports team as they walked through the gym with loud music blasting over the speakers. Each one of them received cheer and applause. I was cheering and clapping with them. The cheer team performed their own cheer, and we even got to watch students and teachers compete in fun mini games. There were students vs. teachers in dodgeball, and another game on who could eat a pie the fastest. Out of all the sports teams that were there, our football team received the most attention. We competed against the other grade levels to see who could cheer for them the loudest. When it was our turn, I screamed out, “I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!” with all my passion. 

Thankfully, I didn’t lose my voice afterwards. But the thing is, I really enjoyed the pep rally and was impressed by all the work put into it. It really made my day. My school has never had much school spirit to begin with. To be honest, not a lot of students really enjoy being here at school, nor do they really have much spirit dedicated to this school. But at that pep rally, we all felt together, and everyone enjoyed being there. 

Although the pep rally at my school lifted my spirits up for that day, just how important are they to create school spirit?

Pep rallies are very important for athletes. In an article by Wootton Common Sense, created by Wootton High School, students and teachers list their views on pep rallies and why they are important to them. One of the important parts of pep rallies is our sports teams. A school’s sports team is really important. They represent the strength and pride of our school. We should be proud to show them off and share their accomplishments. Security team leader Chris Pucciarelli states that, “They give the student body an opportunity to see what other kids have worked hard in their sport and it gives the opportunity for the school to show school spirit and show off their accomplishments.” Student athletes put in lots of work into playing their sport. It can be very hard to balance school and athletics at the same time. They deserve an event like a pep rally to show off their accomplishments. This will make them feel proud of themselves for their hard work, and encourage them to continue working hard. We will also feel proud for having these athletes represent our school.

Being proud of yourself and knowing that you matter can make you feel appreciated and welcome. These are all feelings that can brighten your day and make you enjoy school more. Ben Stoller, a senior from Wootton High School, stated, “I dedicate so much of my free time to soccer and it really means a lot when people actually show up to watch us play.” Being there to cheer for your teammates can make them feel appreciated and welcome. It gives them confidence and makes them feel accomplished. This is something that not only all athletes should feel, but also students. Pep rallies can promote these feelings of appreciation and help build kindness and positivity energy. If we can be there to cheer for our sports team at a pep rally, we can cheer for them at their games too.

Students have worked very hard to set up these pep rallies. They do it because they care. They want a time and place for us to show our spirit, to share our accomplishments, to laugh and be happy. They want us all to feel appreciated. But some students have different views on pep rallies. Pep rallies can be a chore for quieter and less socially outgoing students.

Consider this article that explains two different points of view on pep rallies. “Two sides of Pep rallies,”published by The Red Ledger, shows the different perspectives of pep rallies between two high school girls. One girl, Lily, strongly supports pep rallies, as she is a very social and outgoing person. She enjoys cheering for the school and watching all the funny games at pep rallies. From Lily’s point of view, pep rallies are, “a gift to all of us that we are allowed to leave class just to hear about our peers’ accomplishments and cheer them on as they compete in silly games.” She strongly believes that if you want to enjoy pep rallies, you have to sell it and put in the excitement. According to her, “The problem isn’t pep rallies. Not wanting to be there and sulking through it is your own loss. You’ve got to sell it. Sell your hype for the bowling team. Sell your love for the school.” She strongly believes that if you don’t see pep rallies as a gift and instead see as a chore, then that is your loss. You’ve got to be excited and enjoy being there in order to enjoy the pep rally.

Like I said before, Lily is a much more outgoing person so this is definitely easier for her. But what about kids who are the exact opposite? 

Let’s take a look at Gaby’s point of view. Gaby, on the other hand, represents the quieter side of high school. She is less social, and believes pep rallies should at least be made optional to attend, as she states, “The event itself doesn’t cater to everyone in the school, only those that are more outgoing or thrive in social surroundings. But what about the quieter side of the student sections-the introverts, the antisocials. What are we supposed to do?”

After hearing about how the less social students feel about pep rallies, you might think that pep rallies aren’t helpful and enjoyable for everyone in high school. But the way I see it, pep rallies might even be more beneficial to those who aren’t very social.

Throughout my high school years, I’ve never been very social. Even still to this day as a junior, I don’t really talk to many people throughout my day. I eat lunch by myself most days, I walk through the halls without talking to anyone, and I’m more focused on doing work throughout the school day than hanging out with my friends. They usually end up coming to me. Some days, I feel like I’m not doing anything to help my school. 

 But with a pep rally, you can make a kid who’s not usually very social, participate in cheering. With a pep rally, you can give them a confidence boost and make them feel proud of themselves. Here, everyone belongs. Everyone here matters. Everyone gets a chance to show off their spirit. It’s a place where quiet students can be loud for once, and where introverted students can cheer as a team with everyone. The whole school is together, and that unity helps bring the students closer to each other and allows us to feel more comfortable being with each other. It’s a chance for us all to be in the spotlight. I truly believe that school spirit is in everyone. You just have to let it out. Pep rallies give any student, whether they are social or not, a great opportunity to be outgoing and show off their spirit. If you don’t want to take this amazing opportunity to step out of your social comfort zone and cheer with the whole school, then that’s on you. 

And this was exactly how I felt during my junior year pep rally. I finally showed off my spirit and my energy that I never knew I had. Today I still remain kind of quiet and introverted in high school. But at the time of the pep rally, I don’t think I have ever felt more alive and more connected with my school ever. All I had to do was cheer on my classmates.

The next time your school announces a pep rally, I want you to get excited for it. Get out there, and cheer your loudest. Show the whole school that you have spirit. Not only will this make you feel happy and proud, but everyone will appreciate your efforts whether you're the most outgoing student, or the most introverted. Enjoy your time, and make sure you cheer lots for all the students and staff who have worked hard.

I give pep rallies, 5 out of 5 stars.

ALL OPINIONS expressed in the opinion section represent the individual viewpoints of their authors. The content does not necessarily represent the views of The Warrior, the high school, the school district, or the Board of Education.