Students from all grades came together in the competition gym for the winter pep rally in late February. The major event had many things in store, from different games, announcements, to many winnable prizes. 

To begin, the band played as junior Lindsay Simonsen sang the national anthem. Cheerleaders then filled the gym, giving a short performance. Right after this, students and staff were given a preview of the Drama Club’s upcoming musical, Anastasia. 

Before starting the first game, the hosts of the pep rally took some time to make a very anticipated announcement for the seniors. Holding up signs, members of Streak Nation announced to the Senior Class of 2023 that Project Graduation will take place at Kalahari. 

Streak Nation host senior Justin Daniel then announced the end of winter sports. He acknowledged all teams, having them stand up to receive praise as he explained how far they went in their respective sport. The majority of the Boys Wrestling Team was absent, however, for their regional competition.

After this, the games kicked off. Opening up with a close game of musical chairs, the freshmen just barely beating the seniors, things were already getting exciting. Students were loud and only got louder as more members from Streak  Nation threw shirts and other Warren Hills swag into the crowd. 

Following this was the FFA Relay Race. Four students from each grade raced back and forth across the gym carrying multiple common farm products. It was a tight race, but ultimately the juniors won the race against the seniors, taking a gift basket as their prize. 

Continuing the fun, next up was the drip contest. Two students from each grade dressed their best for all other students to judge. Seniors Brandon Arteaga and Tara Nucum won this challenge with their floral-inspired outfits. 

To close things off was the classic Tug of War event, this time with a twist. Due to a lack of time, only the girls’ teams got to participate in a full tug of war tournament. The seniors won by first defeating the sophomores and then the freshmen. 

Even though time was running out, Streak Nation Advisor Heather Wight let the senior boys go against the junior boys in one round of tug of war. While it was close, the juniors won by default, due to the seniors breaking the rules and adding an extra person in the middle of the round. 

Once all events were finished, they announced the winners of the entire pep rally. The seniors ended up defeating the freshmen by a mere two points. In third were the juniors, followed by the sophomores in last.

This concluded the pep rally, but not before Streak Nation teased the Spring Pep Rally that will take place later this year. 

Overall the pep rally received many compliments as all grades were able to enjoy it and actively participate.

Sophomore Sophia Belmonte said, “It was nice how many events there were and how many chances they gave us to participate in.” 

Senior Ava Rhinehart agreed, saying, “It was a wild set of events.” 

Students are all looking forward to the final pep rally of the year and there are already debates of who will win. But senior Lisa Barry doesn’t think it will be that much of a challenge.  

“Seniors are definitely winning,”  she said.