What You Missed at the Pep-Rally!
If palpable is not in common vocabulary, it should be after the excitement at Peabody High today. From the very instant of stepping through the glass doors, it was apparent how miraculously immersed every single student was in “Tanner Pride.” The school colors were wrapping every student today in a jacket of spirit. Face paint, costumes, selfies, group pictures, and little clothing in many cases was a common sight this morning.
In the end, it was the seniors that took their perennial crown, with the juniors following, then the sophomores, and freshmen last in the competition.
At 9:00 the first waves of students flowed in. The freshmen occupied their position in the balcony peering down onto the formidable stadium. Then came the sophomores, filling the far bleachers, juniors on the right of the central bleachers, and seniors on the left. A mosaic of grey, white, baby blue and navy blue was grown in a matter of minutes.
JROTC presented the colors as the Peabody High Chorale sang the National Anthem. A massiv
e flag encapsulated the far right of the field house carried by dozens of students. Once the lyrics “O’re the land of the free” were sung, 2000 students erupted into a mass of patriotic and local howling.
First on the floor was the Peabody Veterans Football Cheerleaders offering their football cheers to immerse the crowd. The seniors offered a deafening answer to “Let’s hear all of our seniors yell,” outshining all previous classes. Following promptly was the choreographed dance and gymnastic event unique to cheerleaders. Fantastic flips, unimaginable lifts, and amazing tumbles graced the sight of the audience evoking a wondrous awe.
The relay race came next. A multitude of obstacles, jumps, hoops, etc., filled the court as the
four grades competed for their first event. In a flash, the first runners were off to take on the course. Speeding through, the juniors and seniors found themselves at a close call. In the end, the seniors won, leaving the juniors in second, sophomores third and freshmen last.
The class officer sack race and three-legged run followed. Spectacularly, some degree of coordination in such a debilitating task was found from the sophomore class as they rushed to claim their first victory of the day. Seniors trailed for second, juniors third, and freshmen in last place.
In PVMHS, the hula hoop competition is one of the most special. Twenty students from each class line up to form, hand to hand, a continuous human line. The goal: get a hula hoop from one end to the other and back. Early on, the outcome was unpredictable. There was no telling who would win this event. The seniors never felt an intensity loss and powered through to win once again. The juniors followed, with the sophomores in third place, and freshmen in fourth.
The second most exciting event came with the free throw competition. Two boys and two girls from every class were chosen to test their skills on the court behind the foul line. First up was the freshmen and sophomore boys, with the girls of the same classes next. Similarly, the junior
and senior tributes came forward in the same fashion. During the senior boy’s free throw, not a single basket was missed by Vasili Stefanopoulos propelling the seniors into a flurry of excitement. As expected, the seniors won after his spectacular display.
In an almost unexpected turn of events, Mrs. Randall and Mr. Broughton challenged the senior
Stefanopoulos and Sara Hosman to a staff vs. senior free throw competition. Mrs. Randall practically knocked the socks off of the entire 2000 student audience with her immaculate
athletics winning her the female staff versus senior title. Not a single shot was lost by Mrs. Randall. In the male competition between Stefanopoulos and Mr. Broughton, the Stefanopoulos came to win with once again a spectacular show.
Most coveted of all events is the tug of war. Nothing more acutely pits student vs. student, class vs. class, against one another. The juniors and freshmen started the series of battles with the juniors prevailing. Next came the seniors and sophomores with the seniors winning. The juniors fought the sophomores next for their win, the seniors against freshmen for a senior win, and the freshmen against sophomore for a sophomore win.
The defining moment in any day comes from either the last moment, or the most exciting. In today’s case, the defining moment was both: the senior vs. junior tug of war. Several minutes of suspenseful downtime was held before the final competition, adding exponentially to the most critical moment of a seniors pep rally. Every heartbeat could be felt, and every breath quivered in adrenaline fueled tension. A long, tedious battle resulted. It was practically an even match until the juniors burnt out giving the seniors their final win.
Overwhelmed with excitement and, for some juniors, anger, the two classes faced each other in what seemed to be the beginning of the most epic of all brawls. Dark blue versus light.
epic of all brawls. The two classes aimed their words and faces to each other awaiting the final decree of victory. After a long period of shouting and taunting, it was unveiled the senior class would secure this year’s pep rally victory.
Leaving the High School today was a group of satisfied seniors. Winning the majority of events today, the senior class was able to propel themselves forward to accumulate the vital points to win. Painting a few floors with confetti the senior class exited excited as ever.