A little over two weeks ago, EHS students took part in the first pep rally of the 2023-24 school year. They gathered by grade in the gym to compete in some fun and stake-free games. The Hive wanted to find out what work is behind making these exciting rallies come to life.
Pamela Hemingway, EHS’s Career Development Coordinator, spoke with The Hive about what she and others do to make the two annual pep rallies run successfully every semester. The Hive first asked her about planning the date of the pep rally.
“We set the date at the end of the previous school year, a
nd we plan it as soon as school starts,” Hemingway said. “So as soon as we can have our first Athletic Leadership Council meeting, we begin.”
When asked about what types of work must be done for the rally, there was lots to be shared.
“We have to have a detailed schedule,” Hemingway said. “We need to ask the adults that want to help beforehand, we have to get permission from administration, we have to get the gym reserved, get AV reserved. We also need all the supplies, we need the band, the choir, and cheer has to be involved. We see if Unified Sports wants to be a part of it, we decorate; normally, it’s either a weekend day or an afterschool time that they volunteer their time [for]. And then we clean up afterwards.”
The Hive was curious about who the key people coordinating these rallies are. According to Hemingway, Kristin Roy, EHS’s Communications Coordinator and Executive Assistant, Alyssa Jacobs, one of EHS’s nurses, Gayle Botelho, EHS’s assistant principal, and Hemingway herself all take part in preparing and running pep rallies.
“I love organizing it because I think it helps with school culture and excitement around being a Hornet. But it’s also, it’s a lot of work,” Hemingway said. “It’s a lot of making sure we don’t miss people, and we always do, that we don’t offend anybody. We need to get a lot of permission. There’s always a reason why we can’t do something instead of finding a solution of why, how, we can get it done.”
There are lots of bits and pieces that make up the pep rallies, and none of it can come together without the hardworking staff and students.
“I love having the students really take charge and they do a lot of the work, so we’re teaching them leadership and how to get things done and follow through,” Hemingway said. “I’m passionate about students having fun when they’re in high school, and being social and knowing that it’s okay to have fun in school.”
