Walking through the cafeteria at lunchtime, Student Council members snap photos of students showing their school spirit by participating in the dress-up days leading up to the annual Battle of the Classes pep rally April 9.
“I’m excited for the school spirit that we’ll hopefully have,” Student Council Officer senior Emma Beaudine said. “We’ve been really trying this year to involve more people in the school and not just the same people that you see every single game or pep rally.”
Beaudine worked with the other officers and the rest of the student council class to prepare and brainstorm ideas for the pep rally.
“There was a lot of work put into it,” Beaudine said. “The entire student council class really helped out a lot. It was really our class rather than our teachers, which was cool.”
Officers created dress-up themes for each day of the week: Rhyme Without Reason, Grannies vs. Toddlers, Anything but a Backpack, Holidays and Class Colors. The themes were approved by administration
“We all sit and write down every dress-up day we have done or could do,” Beaudine said. “We also go out and find other people who want to do the games or dress-up day to see if the idea will be a good way to get people involved.”
Battle of the Classes maintains its reputation as an annual pep rally, pitting grade levels against each other with games and competitions to see who has more school spirit. Whichever class obtains the most points at the end of the week gets declared the winner.
“I think it’s become a staple because it actually involves the students more and also gives competitiveness,” Beaudine said. “It’s not just that the seniors think they’re better than everybody, or think the freshmen are just too little. But it’s also just good involvement for everyone, not just one particular class or group.”
Each year, Student Council Adviser Mr. Dedric Williams oversees the preparation and execution of the pep rally, helping students if needed.
“We do Battle of the Classes as a way to foster school spirit and get the students engaged with each other,” Williams said. “Although they’re competing against each other, it’s fun because they’re showing Bronco Pride at the end of the day. [Dress-up days] allow them to wear something outside of their normal clothes and show some school participation.”
Students from every grade level participate in the competition, whether by dressing up or volunteering for the games.
“Usually the pressure is on the senior class,” Williams said. “They should always be the ones with the most pride, leading the way. The freshmen also usually apply pressure for the title because they are new to campus and want to show up and make their mark.”
Student Council hopes to see maximum participation from all classes, making the pep rally a memorable experience for the whole school.
“I’m a very Type A person, so I’m just nervous that everything we prepare for in StuCo hopefully achieves the goals and the expectations I have in my brain,” Beaudine said.
