Massive crowds filled the hallway to the gym and loud, energetic music blasted as students walked in. To be allowed admission into the annual pink pep rally, students had to show their pink spirit and purchase a $5 ticket on Oct. 6, the day of the anticipated event. Among the multitudes of pink, students were anxious to get a ticket, rushing to classes early in the morning.
Following tradition, all proceeds made from tickets sales are donated to United Way to help fund breast cancer research. A surprising array of accessories was seen around campus, as students sported pink shirts, skirts, festive wigs, necklaces and headbands. Admitted students were able to enjoy everything from dance performances and competitions to lyric battles.
“Seeing all the pink around the school makes me feel like everyone’s dressing for the Barbie Movie, seeing everyone’s pink spirit,” freshman Sasha Goron said.
After the red-out pep rally, Cavaliers were given a taste of the competitiveness they would face to stand out among the student body. Beginning at 7 a.m. on the day of, Mrs. Monzon, Ms. Depaola, Ms. Suarez, Mrs. Camacho and Ms. Sanz opened their doors to sell tickets, while students created lines, some waiting excitedly and others nervously. At 1:30 p.m., an announcement was made for all students with a pink wristband to go to the gym. The pep rally was about to begin.
As students filled in seats along the bleachers, Masters of Ceremony Adriaan Guerrero, Laura Ridoux and Lorenzo Londono made their second appearance as they introduced themselves. They demanded energy from the crowds as Cavaliers prepared to view the performances, exciting hollers, claps and responses. Suddenly, CavMan and CavBoy ran in from the sides of the gym, waving the Gables flag. Their sword fight right after was a daring rematch to the previous pep rally, where CavMan reclaimed the crown.
“I prepared by praying and getting into the role of CavBoy. Being alone before I ran out really helped me because I could motivate myself without getting any weird looks,” sophomore Rafael Hanono said.
Taking over the show, Gablettes and cheerleaders were quick to get on the dance floor, performing difficult but entertaining stunts, all while staying synchronized. They danced to loud, trending songs that radio station Power 96 played, which had the excited crowd singing along.
There was more dancing once the games commenced. With the first activity, the dance chain gave students a chance to participate, moving from the bleachers onto the center of the gym. Making four lines, one for each grade, Cavaliers were told to copy a short dance from a cheerleader or Gablette standing at the beginning of the line. They taught TikTok-styled dances, shown only to the first person in line. Turning around one by one, students copied the dance to the best of their ability. Meanwhile, the MCs kept the students who were not playing involved, letting Cavaliers cheer for their favorite and have their vote decide the winners.
“The pink pep rally was the second pep rally I’ve been to since I went to the first one. It was a lot of fun because I didn’t expect the cheerleaders and football team to collaborate, and the activities they had were a lot of fun. I enjoyed this one more than the first one because they interacted with the crowd more, and more people participated,” freshman Sophia Artunduaga said.
The football team showed off their unexpected talent for cheer stunts and performed a choreographed routine with the cheerleaders. Both groups lined up at the start of a pretended football game, when they suddenly broke out into a dance battle, shocking the students who watched them so attentively. Everyone cheered as they competed with their dance moves, where the football team was voted winner in this battle.
“We started preparing for the routines in the summer so when the year starts and things get crazy, we would review the dances, making it less stressful. We practiced two times a week, and we had to figure out when football wasn’t practicing to figure out when both the cheerleaders and the football team could practice. We had three practices with them until we coordinated and taught them the stunts, and it worked out well,” Ms. Noval said.
The next game presented to the student body was a lyric challenge, where Power 96’s DJ played hits from the 2000s for selected students to finish the lyrics. One student per grade was picked by the MCs based on the excitement and energy they showed. Freshman Jamie Obando and sophomore Paz Chico first struggled to recognize the song presented to them but ended up singing word for word after a few moments, while the crowd enthusiastically screamed the lyrics with them. Out of the all grades, senior Jayden Solomon came out victorious, earning congratulations from across the gym.
To finish off the pep rally, Cavaliers all stood and recited the Alma Mater, facing and pointing to the words on the gym’s wall. Both performers and attendees came together to end the pep rally, with sore throats and big smiles.
“During the pep rally, I go with the flow and try to follow what I’m told to do, but aside from that, I have free will so long as I stay within the guidelines of what I was told [to do]. It’s fun because I can choose people and allow some kids to be seen for events even if the other people didn’t choose them. After the pep rally, I thank God that nothing went wrong and that it was smooth and enjoyable,” sophomore Rafael Hanono said.
"We prepared for the pep rally by practicing our routine every day, some more than others. We would spend hours cleaning every little movement so that it was perfect for when we performed. I personally would go over the dance on my own time to make sure I knew it. Before the pep rally we all got ready in the dance room and were dressed in our pink hats ready for the pep rally," freshman Stella Gonzalez said.
"We had already learned our routines in the summer, so when it came time to practice we cleaned up what we already knew and worked with the football team. We had practiced a few times a week, but it didn't take much practicing since it wasn't new to us," sophomore Bianca Giordano said.
"We would get with the cheerleaders and practice the routine for around an hour, and occasionally Ms. Noval would come and help us do the stunts. At first, we were going to do the stunt where we threw the cheerleaders in the air, but that was too difficult. For myself, I bleached my hair and then got pink hearts painted in my hair, but I wasn't able to wear pink because we had to wear our jerseys," sophomore Andres Amador said.
