Pep rallies are a contributor to school spirit. They are meant to get the school community hyped up for the big football game that night. 

But this year, pep rallies have looked a little different.

Last school year there were no pep rallies due to COVID-19. This year there has only been two grade levels attending pep rallies due to high class numbers and the school wanting to be cautious of COVID-19 to help everyone feel comfortable. 

“I think it’s unfair that the juniors do not get to go to all because they only have one more year and the freshmen have three,” junior Dylan Hauglid said.

Seniors have the privilege of attending all pep rallies this year, and the rest of the grades must take turns. If you are not in the grade attending the pep rally, you watch it via live broadcast in your classroom during activity period. 

“It’s nice that seniors get to go to all pep rallies,” senior Ashley Heaver said. “I personally feel bad for them though because we got to have pep rallies all four years of high school.” 

Whether there are two thousand students in the gym or a thousand, everyone in the gym plays a role in the pep rally. 

“The most frustrating thing during a pep rally is when the students don’t have energy or get loud,” varsity cheerleader and junior Juliette Jehling said. “To get the student section more involved it’s going to take us cheerleaders to show spirit and have more crowd involvement.” 

Along with cheer, band and Legacy Line perform and help excite the crowd. There is a lot of time and hard work put into these pep rallies.

“We practice a lot for pep rallies… we have morning practices three to four times a week and also practice during the class period,” Legacy Line senior Caroline Yocum said.

Some students said that the pep rallies lack spirit and crowd involvement, but it is up to them to show their spirit.

“I think [people do not want to be involved in the pep rally because] they just want to act cool in front of their friends,” sophomore Nicole Wisdom said. 

The next pep rally is on Friday, Oct. 29 and it is the “Black Out” pep rally. In years past, this has been one of the most popular. Students wear bright neon colors or white so they stand out in the gym when the lights are turned off. The whole pep rally is in the dark, as Legacy Line and cheer perform in white with glow paint and tape, and cheer has glow in the dark shoelaces.

“The blackout pep rally is by far the best one. I love when the lights go out and everyone is glowing. It’s really cool and fun,” Heaver said.