Year after year, Yorba Linda High School’s Olympic Rally and Spirit Week continue to unite each class through plenty of cheer and excitement and promote friendly competitions among students and staff alike. It is an incredibly fun week for everyone to enjoy, regardless of their grade.

Libby Haye (11) is one of YLHS’s rally commissioners along with Maddie Kerr (11), and she shared the rigorous process of preparing for the Olympic rally. According to Libby, “The rally process starts with selecting a theme and then building off of that. This year we decided to do a Greek Mythology theme, and each grade was represented by a different Greek god.” She continued, “Once the class has a theme decided, we begin discussing decorations and scripts for the rally.” After everything is all planned out, the rally commissioners can  begin to start assigning jobs to the rest of the ASB class and ordering the necessary materials.

Not only does the rally have an intense planning process, but the spirit week also takes a lot of hard work to pull off. Beginning a month or so before The Olympics week, each grade’s class officers gather together and create a plan for how to decorate their section of the quad. Julian Lisboa (12), YLHS’s Senior Class President, explained, “Preparing for the spirit week is a very tiresome yet rewarding experience. At first, each grade organized all of the posters, and the class officers delegated work to the ASB leaders in their grades. On Monday of this last week, everyone in ASB had to get to school at 6:30 to decorate the quad with all of our posters. It was all worth it in the end, as the senior shelter looked extra great!”

Once The Olympics Week has begun, the time for competitions between each grade begins. Starting with the senior-planned activity on Monday and ending with the freshmen-planned activity on Thursday, each grade participates in gaining points for their class every day at lunch. However, the games at the rally are worth the most points overall.

On Thursday night of the week, all of ASB arrives to decorate the gym with the decorations they have painted. The process ranges from three to four hours and requires a lot of hard work. ASB then returns at seven in the morning the following day to watch a run-through of the rally and ensure all other students involved are prepared.

The rally consists of each class president leading the way for their grades. There are many games, performances, and even a dance battle from each class. 

According to the Junior Class President, Tatum Steward (11), “My favorite part of the rally is the environment that is created once the stands are filled. Watching our entire student body cheer in unity brings the biggest smile to my face and fills me with a sense of school pride that cannot be explained.” An audience member, Ethan Lee (10), said it best, “This last week was so energetic and hype, and I can’t wait to participate again next year.”

After the rally, The Olympics Week has come to a close, and the winners are ready to be announced. This year, the seniors took the trophy and won the annual Olympics again. Following the Class of 2023, the sophomores received second place, the juniors received third, the freshmen received fourth, and the staff received last place.