Thanksgiving Pep Rally Returns!

Pep rallies are a staple of the American high school experience. TV shows and movies depict pep rallies as the epitome of high school fun. Unfortunately, due to COVID, only half of the SHS student body has ever attended a pep rally before. In Scituate, the Thanksgiving Pep Rally is a standing tradition consisting of competitions and games between students, teachers–and even administrators. Fan favorites include the handball tournament, the three-legged race, and the teachers versus students tug-o-war.

There hasn’t been a pep rally at SHS in two years, and the last one left some students feeling unsatisfied: “My sophomore year pep rally seemed short and underwhelming,” commented senior Clara Sullivan.

This year, SHS welcomed back the beloved tradition of the Thanksgiving pep rally. Planned by the Student Council, the pep rally included favorite features from years past, including posters and assigned colors for each grade. Traditionally, seniors wear black, juniors wear white, sophomores wear royal blue, and freshmen wear light blue. Each grade is responsible for crafting a banner to hang above their set of bleachers. Sullivan, who is one of the student council officers, said students were “able to do almost everything we hoped for.”

Held on Wednesday, November 24th, this year’s pep rally was a great event that united the school with one purpose–having fun!

Nevertheless, there are lingering concerns following such an extreme event. Some students and administrators are specifically concerned about the separation of grades. According to Sullivan, “The complaints that people [normally] have are that it causes underclassmen to feel excluded.” Sullivan hopes the Thanksgiving pep rally was all about coming together to have a fun last hoorah before the long break.

Senior Chris Sullivan stated his favorite part of the pep rallies is the connection he feels to his class: “I like competing against the other grades–it creates a sense of pride.” Sophomore Lily Sylvester reiterated this point, saying,  “Sophomore president, Brook McCarthy, says that she doesn’t think that there should be a problem with separating grades [since it’s] really important to be together with your grade and the division between them is part of school!” McCarthy commented that pep rallies are “a great thing to look back on.”

Senior class president Celia Rees also loves pep rallies and believes they are important for the student body: “It’s a great community event,” she said. According to Rees, a pep rally “creates a sense of pride.”

Many students expressed their joy toward this year’s pep rally. Freshman Leona Breitenstein mentioned how she attended pep rallies at the middle school, but high school pep rallies represent a “whole new level of excitement.” SHS Juniors, Tess Railton, Maggie Fontes, and Bridget Thompson all elaborated on the build-up toward the pep rally and the “positive energy.” They all agree that the competition between grades is more for fun and school unity than competitiveness. Rooting for their peers allows students to feel the solidarity of their class and the entire school.

This year’s pep rally ended on a particularly energetic note: As part of a fundraising effort, SHS teachers Phill Blake and Liam McSweeney, administrators Karen Hughes and Lisa Maguire, and the high school’s resource officer Nick Sharry, all volunteered to take a pie in the face. As paraprofessional Judy Leahy playfully approached SHS principal Lisa Maguire with a pie made from whipping cream, everyone in attendance went wild!