This year, all the students of North Hollywood High School were thrilled and overjoyed to experience the pep rally in the new gym. 

The new gym definitely caught the eye of those entering it, with new, clean, and polished floors, a confection station, an elevator, and soundproof walls, needless to say, it did not disappoint.

School staffers made sure to maintain this condition by laying a plastic cover over the floors and establishing guidelines for decorations. No posters were allowed to be in the gym however, ASB did their best by having an iconic gate entrance featuring Jurassic Park.

With that being said, the theme of the pep rally was universal studios with a focus on certain rides of the amusement park like the minion’s ride, Jurassic park, and the new Super Marios resort. 

Students had a lot to say about the execution of this pep rally.

Jocelyn Sandoval, the spirit co-chair of ASB says, “It was certainly a lengthy and stressful event but I think all of ASB is happy with how it turned out.” ASB members were assigned two days of afterschool decorating starting right after school and ending at 7 PM.

“As the spirit co-chair, I know many of the other members in spirit put hard work into every poster…” Sandoval explains. The time during class was spent working diligently on posters and other props for the games.

Some members were more tired than others, as expressed by Shane Black (spirit committee), “My favorite part of the pep rally was the beginning when I still had energy.”

“I’m glad seniors were able to experience the new gym since it’s the only new building we’ll be able to see before we go.” Black states. Unfortunately, the upperclassmen won’t be able to get the full experience of the newly renovated school. 

Cianna Marin, another member of the spirit committee believes that the pep rally was “well done especially considering the circumstances that appeared out of nowhere.” She continues by saying that they were able to adapt pretty quickly to the issues like the fire alarms and lockdown that occurred with the start of the pep rally. 

Being in a new environment can be quite tough, however, ASB did an excellent job of meeting the standards of the students. 

Lila Duarte, a senior in SAS expresses her feelings towards the event, “I may be biased when saying this but the theme went hard. I really enjoyed the nostalgia that came with it.”

“Preparing for the pep rally was probably one of the most stressful events for me. We had a lot going on like blood drives, march madness, and other things…”: Marleena Limbrick states, the chair of PR. 

Namie Horner, another member of spirit states that her favorite part of the rally was the “Indoor drumline because they are like the highlight of the pep rally and she loved the acting and music. It was very lively.”

There were conflicting sentiments towards this pep rally performance with that of last semester.

Vanessa Abarca, a senior in SAS states, “ I thought it was pretty good. However, I don’t think it beats last year’s pep rally with the matrix performance done by the band…”

“I’m a little bummed out by the fact that not everyone got to experience the ‘full’ pep rally experience due to the lockdown and fire alarms.” Horner continues. 

“I feel nostalgic and sad because this is my last pep rally and you don’t think about how special the moment is till it ends.” Kimberely Carranza expresses, a member of spirit. She goes on to emphasize how once you realize it’s your last pep rally and how you’re never going to experience it anymore “hits differently”. 

“This one was my favorite theme, it was so creative and out of the box” Carranza restates. 

Though the pep rally is over, it doesn’t take away the stress for other upcoming pep rallies.

Regan Kuzniar, one of the only underclassmen in the spirit committee talks about the anxiety she feels with carrying on such obligations, “This was my second time helping bring the pep rally to life and I can say that it wasn’t an easy task…”.

“I’m glad I had the seniors to help me out and learn from them for next year’s pep rally. It’s gonna be rough without Ms. Fowzer and especially being the only returning member in my committee”. Kuzniar restates. 

The pep rally in the new gym surprised and fulfilled the majority of students’ expectations. With that being said, more students are now looking forward to next year’s pep rally and hope to continue to be surprised.