By CALEB HAYES – Editor-in-Chief
I never thought I would see it again. A crowded mob of screaming students enthralled in anticipation for a football game.
Clarke Central High School hasn’t had a pep rally since my freshman year in 2008.
This high school experience has become a myth to the freshmen, sophomores and juniors who have been deprived of pep rallys. Until Aug. 26, that is.
In the August heat, the 1500 students of CCHS sweated their way through forty minutes of screams and cheers. Although pep rallys may have been missed, there were factors that caused the old experience to make a small impression on the student body.
For the decades that pep rallies were held at CCHS, they always took place in the gym. Nice bleachers, space for an echo and cool air-conditioning. But during the most recent pep really, the students and teachers melted on the concrete stands of Billy Henderson Stadium, and the lack of noise control caused the announcer’s messages to dissipate into thin air.
Although the conditions were borderline torturous, there were peaks of excitement and an impressive amount of participation from the usually apathetic students. The cheerleaders’ new use of dangerous stunts in their routine even earned a few “woah’s.”
The fundraising element of the pep rally was enjoyable, although it was lost among the majority of the crowd. Students paid little attention to math department teacher Eric MCullough and science department teacher Dale Autry’s pie-in-the-face gag.
The biggest influence on the not-so-peppy rally was a dying enthusiasm. The students and staff have been burnt out from the amount of spirit this week; there was more school spirit fueling the voting for Fox 5’s High 5 Sports Game of the Week than seen at the Aug. 26 pep rally.
The students and faculty dressed with more red and gold than any spirit week I’ve ever seen at CCHS. Although the pep rally may not have met high expectations, there was still a respectable amount of success in showing off our school pride this week through other outlets.
Here are some photos from the pep rally:
