Senior class president Elizabeth Kobty stands on the floor in front of all of Legacy chanting for the first pep rally of the year – the first out of three planned for this year.

“I’m kinda bummed about it [the decline in pep rallies],” Kobty said, “But I feel like having less [pep rallies] makes people more pumped and more excited.”

Last year all high school principals in the district decided to hold less pep rallies to lower the amount of missed instruction at Ben Barber, according to principal David Wright.

“Grades and grading takes priority,” Wright said.

With the transportation to Ben Barber and back on pep rally days, the amount of missed class time adding up throughout the football season affected the amount of instruction time students were able to receive. Wright plans the pep rallies based off the football schedule and grading schedule.

“I understand where the district is coming from,” Senior Sponsor Stephanie Shackelford (Shack) said. “They do take away a lot of class time.”

After the “Red out” pep rally there are two more pep rallies planned. The homecoming pep rally, is scheduled for October 14 and the senior pep rally is scheduled for November 4.

“We need something to honor the senior class and not only the class but the pep rally participants,” Shack said.

Freshman Bronco Brigade member Beau Billings feels the decline in pep rallies gives him a greater motivation to express his school spirit at games.

“I’m going to be more excited [at the next pep rally] than I was at the last one,” Billings said.