As the culminating event of spirit week, McLean staff and students gathered in the lower gym for a pep rally hosted by McLeadership. After school spirit had built up throughout the spirit week—which included the themes of pajama day, an “ice out,” jersey day, flannel day and a blackout—the pep rally was the perfect way to bring the enthusiastic energy to an apogee ahead of the week’s biggest event: the varsity basketball doubleheader against Langley.
“I was really excited because it is my last pep rally of my high school career,” senior Emery Conroy said. “I knew McLeadership would do a great job.”
The planners of the pep rally had an ace up their sleeve to make this year’s edition unique from past renditions. Upon entering the gym, students were given glow sticks and other light-up attire. Once they sat down, the lights went off, and it was revealed that the theme of the pep rally was glow-in-the-dark.
“We wanted the pep rally to be different this winter, so we thought the [darkness] would be a great idea,” senior McLeadership member Talia Bolden said. “[This new glow-in-the-dark theme] really seemed to boost morale.”
Like in previous years, the pep rally honored its winter sports by spotlighting the captains of each team as they walked out. Once that was over, the pep rally launched into games involving all four grade levels competing against each other. Human Hungry Hungry Hippos and musical chairs with a basketball twist were fan favorites. Attendees were also treated to a T-shirt toss and performances from the dance and gymnastics teams.
As the pep rally began to wind down, students were treated to one final spectacle. The wrestling light shone down on the center of the court as Angus the Highlander took on a Langley Saxon in a duel. It was a close competition at first, but the challenger was no match for the mighty Highlander, who hit his opponent with a pile driver at the end to mark his victory. Students responded loudly to Angus’s win, and that energy is sure to carry over into the evening’s doubleheader. Just for good measure, School Resource Officer Scott Davis placed the Saxon in handcuffs to mark a defeat on all fronts.
The pep rally was a strong ending to a great week of school spirit. As the first semester draws to a close and the student body continues to shake off the rust picked up over winter break, the Highlander morale will continue to grow with the help of events like the winter pep rally and spirit week as a whole.
“[Spirit week] is like a bond, it just brings everyone together,” senior Vaughn McCollough said. “It helps school be less stressful.”