Pep rallies: just a ticket out of class?

Seeing the football team stampeding through a tunnel of cheerleaders and Pep Crew members should be enough to get anyone excited about being at a pep rally, right? For most students at Bartlett High, that is all it takes to get them fired up; however for some that is not the case.

Cartoon by Macy Linton

Juniors and seniors show overwhelming school spirit. On red and blue day they are always the ones with the painted faces and spray painted hair. They are the loudest at games and pep rallies. It seems as though they can hardly contain their school spirit and support. Also, most of the Pep Crew is made up of upperclassmen.

However, the underclassmen lack the same spirit. Although they show some enthusiasm, when it comes time for each class to cheer individually at the pep rallies, the underclassmen are not nearly as loud as the upperclassmen. Many freshmen and sophomores even stay seated during the spirit-boosting festivities. Apparently, they think they are simply too cool to show school spirit. Is school pride something that comes with being an upperclassman, or is this lack of spirit permanent?

Pep Crew sponsor Laura Houston said that this lack of spirit is typical from the underclassmen.

“They haven’t quite figured out how to have fun, that this is the way you enjoy your high school years, make it memorable and fun,” said Houston.

The years that teens spend in high school are some of the most memorable years of their life. Students should make them as enjoyable as possible.

Pep rallies are not only a fun alternative to the last half-hour of class, but they also get students pumped for the upcoming sports season. For the students who show no spirit, pep rallies may be just a ticket out of class, but a lot of the students enjoy being at the pep rallies. For those students, pep rallies are a fun way of showing off school spirit while getting to know the team.

To do their best during games, our athletes train very hard, practicing for about two hours everyday after school. They deserve recognition for their hard work and dedication to their team. Both during practices and on the field, these athletes play hard. At pep rallies, they gain a boost in confidence that helps them do their best throughout the season.

Along with pep rallies, Pep Crew has a variety of activities planned to boost spirit.

“We’ll do blue jean decorating contests; we’ll do trivia contests. The week of homecoming we’ll do dress up days, and we’re in the process of finalizing what those will be,” Houston said.

Football is not the only sport Pep Crew will be recognizing this year. Pep Crew will try to do a newsletter or post schedules for other sports. They are trying to find ways to support sports other than football, Houston said.

Entertaining and interactive, pep rallies involve the entire student body. Many students are looking forward to the other activities Pep Crew will be trying out this year. Although the underclassmen have a lack of spirit, Houston has assured us that they will become loud and proud Panthers in their coming years as upperclassmen.