Fall pep rallies are an essential part of the first semester, in which the school’s band, dance, and cheer perform in the courtyard or gym to show support for fall sports organizations, mainly football and volleyball. Despite the popularity of these pep rallies, there is no type of pep rally in the second semester for spring sports. Even though the school recently announced that a pep rally for softball, baseball and track would be held on April 14, it seems like an afterthought and is not enough. There’s little to no promotion for spring sports on campus, while the fall pep rallies push for the student body to attend the school’s football and volleyball games every Friday.
The school should work to establish pep rallies during the second semester to help show support to the spring sports as well as the athletes that participate in them.
The spring athletes work just as hard as the fall athletes and deserve the same amount of recognition. These students are still applying a significant portion of their time to their respective sports, staying before and after school, and putting in the work to get better. The student-athletes who put in this work during the second semester deserve to be rewarded with recognition, and pep rallies serve as a reminder to the student body that there is a game or meet that day or weekend. This would in turn provide a bigger turnout for spring sports.
The most successful sports program by far at the school right now is softball, as they are the district champions and are also currently competing for another title this season. It would make sense to celebrate the school’s most successful athletic program with consistent pep rallies in the second semester, and in doing so the school would be able to include other spring sports as well. Baseball goes hand-in-hand with softball, and other sports such as track and field, swimming, golf, and soccer could also be part of the pep rallies so that all sports are included.
During the second semester, many students and faculty members are focused on UIL competitions and final exams, so school spirit and event attendance naturally go down. These theoretical pep rallies would help increase school spirit throughout the later parts of the school year, with possible games and events between the school’s clubs during the pep rallies. For example, during a fall pep rally, a three-legged race was held between a lot of the school’s sports programs. Something like this during the spring pep rallies would make sure everyone stays involved through the end of the year.
Individuals against the idea of pep rallies in the spring may point to how many important groups have UIL competitions at that time, such as band, dance, and cheer. This won’t be as big of a problem as it may seem though since it is possible to do smaller pep rallies with only parts of the fine arts programs. For example, the band could do something like only having the drumline go out and the dance team could do something like only having colonels or seniors go out.
Pep rallies are a part of the overall experience for a high school student and they are just a fun time for everyone who participates and spectates. The school should work to consistently have pep rallies in the spring semester and show more support to the spring sports.
