Last Friday, Sept. 30, was the annual Homecoming pep assembly. The whole school filled the gym and sat with their respective grades, and the pep rally began!

The pep rally began with the band marching into the gym and playing the Fight Song. “The performance was fun. A lot of people were screaming and having a good time,”  senior Drum Major Katelynn Miller said. “It was fun to just play for no serious reason and have a good time,”

Seniors Micah Battee and Devin Newsom were the announcers for the day, hyping up the crowd and introducing all the events. “It’s the most fun I’ve ever had at a school event. It was a little messy but I had fun nonetheless,” Battee said. 

The dance team and both the JV and varsity cheer teams performed as well, doing their routines. The varsity cheer team did a performance with the varsity football team, which was something new for the pep rally. “The performance went pretty good. The few days leading up to the pep rally were stressful, like practicing with the football players, but I had a lot of fun!” senior Lakyra Moss said.

The first game that Student Assembly planned was Hungry, Hungry Hippos. One student of each class had to lay down on a scooter and get as many ball pit balls into their bin before time ran out while being guided by another student. “It was a lot of fun. I never expected to actually be able to play Hungry, Hungry Hippos in real life,” senior Lakiya Reese said. “Whoever came up with that was creative. I never would’ve thought to use a box and scooter,” The pep assembly committee from Student Assembly spent a good amount of time coming up with the rules for the game, making sure it was fair. The freshmen won against the rest of the classes and had to go up against Andrea Burns, English teacher, and Reed Stevens, science teacher, to see who the overall winner would be. The teachers, however, came out victorious and took the title of the winners. “I don’t think Mr. Stevens and I expected to win, but we had a good strategy and had a lot of fun,” Burns said.

The second game that Student Assembly planned, one of the more popular games, was Tug of War. Each class had five people on the team and did their best to get the win. “I had fun. I expected to win against the freshmen, but I knew it would be a fight against the sophomores,” junior Trenton Buckbee said. The sophomores won against the other classes and went up against the teacher team, consisting of Jacob Bambrick, Derek Blackmer, Zach Rohde, Nicholas Fisk, and Lauren Koneczny. “Looking at the sophomore’s team, I expected them to win, but I had a lot of fun anyways,” Blackmer said.

Finally, the 2022-2023 Homecoming Court was introduced. Everyone was excited to find out who was on Court and waited anxiously to hear the names called. From first couple called to last, this year’s Homecoming Court consists of:

Aaniya Jordan and Brian Hunter

Isis Curry and Levy Bryant

Lillie Parker and Austin Barnett

Saniah Love and Nathan Donaldson

Sha’Niya Thomas and Leonard Curry

Shawna Adragna and Anthony Wekwert

Asia Wheeler and Julian Ford

Micah Battee and Devin Newsom

“I was surprised that I made court. I had my doubts, but I’m glad I made it in the end,” Barnett said. All the seniors who made it on were excited and had a good time. “Honestly, it was such a surprise. It was so exciting and definitely will be a core memory from high school,” Wekwert said.

The pep assembly went very well, and the committee from Student Assembly were all proud and happy that everyone liked it this year. “The set up was a little hectic, but it went pretty smoothly,” freshman Justine Brun said. Sophomore Daniel Duhaylonsod, also in the pep assembly committee, was glad it turned out good, too. “It was really fun to set up and watch all the students cheer on their classes during the games,” Duhaylonsod said. Emily Collias, social studies teacher and Student Assembly sponsor was on the sidelines while the Student Assembly members ran the pep assembly. “I thought the pep rally was amazing! It exceeded my expectations, and next year, all we can hope for is more pep from all grades!” Collias said.