Israa Malhouni also contributed to this article.
On November 25th, Malden High School’s gym roared with energy as students gathered for performances, competition, and school spirit. With the National Honor Society’s annual pep rally, each class came ready to sweep the competition. Freshman Madison Brazell described the atmosphere as more “intense than expected; everyone was screaming, but in a fun way!”
Before the pep rally, the class teams competed in a volleyball tournament. They began with preliminary games, in which freshmen challenged the seniors while sophomores fought against the juniors. The seniors and juniors had won their respective games and then faced off to determine a winner. After a tough competition, the seniors secured the final win, taking a lead in the rankings. Senior Oscar Luc shared that “as seniors, we knew this was going to be our last Spirit Day, so we had to go all out.”
As students filled the gym and took their seats, focus shifted towards the many talents of the school. Performances kicked off with the choir, led by Todd Cole, who performed the national anthem. The step team took the floor after, using their synchronized steps and claps to capture the attention of the student body. Sophomore David Ruprecht was amazed by their performance, saying, “They stood out and were fun to watch.” When the floor cleared, the cheerleaders rolled out with the final performance, full of dancing and stunts.
Returning to the games, the first challenge presented was the basketball free throw. As each team took its spots behind a hoop, students threw a few warm-up balls before the official timer started. When pressure kicked in, students began to throw the ball rapidly while trying to maintain precision. Students froze when the timer ended, and as the counters for each team shared the number of hoops made, the sophomores ended on top with the highest count. The sophomores cheered as the win put them in second place behind the seniors.
The next activity was introduced: the floatie relay. Each spirit team was provided with a mattress, with the goal of one person pushing it to the other end using the weight and force of their bodies. When that person completed, they ran back to the beginning before the next person in line tested their abilities. This process would repeat until all teams crossed the finish line. The first ones to finish the relay were the juniors, giving them a win on the scoreboard.
Students’ physical abilities were continuously challenged, especially with the following task of creating a human pyramid and holding it for at least three seconds. Some students managed to complete the tower within seconds, while others struggled to create a stable pyramid. Being just a little quicker than the other teams, the sophomores earned another win and maintained their second-place spot. Ruprecht shared that the sophomores were doing “really good” and that he felt the “high school energy.”
The next game, over-under, consisted of players lining up and passing a basketball, either over their head or under their legs, to their teammate behind them, and then running to the back of the line. This cycle would continue until the player who started at the beginning of the line returns to the front, and the entire team takes a seat to mark their completion. Through the loud student cheers of “over” and “under” to guide their teams, basketballs weaved their way through players until the sophomores fell to the ground first, claiming their victory again.
Returning to races, the spirit teams took their positions to prepare for the box relay. One person was on either end of the gym and two in the middle; each person must travel inside a cardboard ring until they reach the next person, passing the box to them. As the relay began, students dashed off, using unique methods to propel themselves forward, from crawling to doing complete somersaults within the box. The seniors were the first to roll themselves over the line, giving them a three-point lead. Sophomore Lillyanna Keogh noted that “this year felt louder than last year.”
As the pep rally came to an end, the last game, Tug of War, began. Decided in preliminary rounds before the start of the pep rally, the juniors, who had lost to the sophomores, would face the freshmen, who previously lost to the seniors. Both teams put up an intense fight. While the freshmen had the upper hand in the beginning, quickly pulling the other team near their side, the juniors managed to redeem themselves. They put all their strength into it, and.
Following the intense competition, the winners of the preliminary rounds faced off. The seniors and sophomores stood on their sides, preparing for the game to begin. There was an enticing, competitive feel to it all. “The biggest thing I was looking forward to was the competitiveness that the pep rally brings,” sophomore Sofie Rivera shared. “I loved how invested everyone was in the pep rally.” Tensions were high; the sophomores were just a few points behind the seniors. The winner of this round would decide the winner for the entire pep rally.
The game started, and the classes cheered on their teams as the class advisors yelled for the players to continue pulling. Both teams held their ground, desperate for the win. As the teams tugged at the rope, the seniors brought the sophomores over the line, giving them the final win and making them the day´s winners.
Spirit Day is “competitive, expressive,” and “one of the many high school traditions students look forward to,” concluded Rivera.
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