Now that Olympics week and the Olympic Rally have ended, I can’t wait to recap this past week and the eventful rally we’ve had here at YLHS. With the Monsters Inc. theme, YLHS embodied the full “Mustang University” Spirit, bringing excitement and friendly competition to our campus all week. As a member of ASB, I have watched Rallies Commissioners in awe as they executed this rally better than I could have imagined, and I applaud our entire student body for their enthusiasm. Let’s look back and remember all the amazing memories from this past week’s rally!
Before our rally even began, students got the opportunity to start gaining points with our Olympic week lunchtime activities. First, students and staff competed in a cornhole tournament in the gym during lunch, ramping up their spirits to fuel them for the rest of the week. The next day, a school-wide rock paper scissors competition was held, as grades competed against one another to collect the most beaded necklaces after winning a round of rock paper scissors. Lastly, students and staff engaged in an exciting jenga competition on Thursday in the gym. These competitions led up to the excitement and built the energy for Friday: our annual Olympics Rally!
Our rally starts with the national anthem performance from our choir and band, followed by incredible performances from Dance Co, Varsity Cheer, and Varsity Song. Allowing students to showcase their talents at the rally is a significant part of the Mustang Way, and it gives everyone a space to be appreciated for their forms of self-expression. Aside from the performing arts, throughout the entire rally, I don’t think we realize how much Video Production truly does. They arrive early to set up equipment, run through the rally time and time again, and bring the whole rally to life with sounds, visuals, and videos on the screen. The flow and seamlessness of our rally would be impossible without the dedication of all types of YLHS students.
Following our performances, students and staff played our exciting scare game! Rolling on a scooter on the ground, participants use plungers to move their bodies along the gym floor. Once they reached their finish line, they passed the scooter and plungers to their relay teammates, and the game continued. The first one to make it back to the starting line wins! The games were extremely close at each rally, but having something to compete for brings an exciting and passionate spirit to rallies. Jazzy Sison (10) says, “I am so proud of how the games turned out this year. There was so much participation and I feel like everyone had fun.” Having a game to participate in and a team to cheer for unites each grade in a shared hope for victory!
After cheering on our teams for the game, each grade (and staff) performed their planned and rehearsed class dance. As each group performed, the audience was filled with cheering and laughter. Being a part of the Junior Dance, I feel like it gave everyone a huge opportunity to connect with their entire grade, make new friends, and get out of their comfort zone. Being in the class dance not only bonds and unites each grade, but also gives people an opportunity to participate in something on campus. Katherine Farer (11), who planned the Olympics rally, claims she “Really liked all the dances the classes put together, they were so entertaining. I’m very proud of how it turned out. I think this was the best rally yet!”
As the rally came to a close, a “Finish the Lyric” competition was held between freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Singing songs everyone knew, there was a sense of unity in the gym between the hundreds of students who on any other random day would not interact or have anything to connect over. As we finished with the singing of the Alma Mater, these students who may not have known each other yesterday bonded over this shared high school experience. I think moments like this make up our high school lives: playing games, laughing with friends, performing for our school, and singing songs together in this building that we come to every day for four years straight. Moments like these may seem insignificant, but we will look back on them in the following years and reminisce. High school doesn’t last forever, so enjoy it now!
