After three years of dealing with Covid-19 and its aftermath, one of the many events traditionally held at Hawthorne High School was brought back. This event is the pep rally. Although there was a pep rally held last year, this occurred outside on the field. This year, on September 10th, 2022, the pep rally was held in the gymnasium. Hosting the pep rally in the gymnasium was an exciting return because it allowed for a livelier student atmosphere.

The pep rally is hosted at the beginning of the school year in the fall to raise school spirit by supporting the fall sports teams and their athletes. These sports teams include football, soccer, cheerleading, volleyball, marching band, and tennis.

As all students arrived at the gymnasium during the last period of the day, each grade filled their designated section. Each section was filled with posters made by the students supporting their grade level. Mr. Schell introduced all of the classes, and the freshmen received their warm welcome by being booed.

The MCs, student body president Emily Barbire, and vice president Leah Alves led the pep rally. When asked how it felt to lead the pep rally, Emily Barbire responded, “It felt great to lead the fun and bring back an old tradition that the other grades had never experienced.”

The seniors are the only class in the school to have experienced an actual pep rally, while the underclassmen had not. This is why this year’s pep rally was so special; all of the grades in the school got to be a part of it.

The cheerleaders performed, dancing to the music the Hawthorne High School marching band orchestrated. All of the fall sports teams were introduced, along with the team captains, who read off the players’ names.  The pep rally closed out with the dismissal of the seniors first.

The 2022 pep rally in the gymnasium was a perfect start to this school year, representing our school’s spirit and support for its fall sports teams.