On Oct. 27, 2023, seniors at Lexington High School gathered in the field house during I-Block to hold a pep rally, an event to encourage school spirit and support members of their class. 

In the midst of college applications and deadlines, the pep rally was a way for seniors to take a break. Students engaged in entertaining activities such as racing tricycles and playing musical chairs. While some think pep rallies should be exclusive to seniors, all grade levels at LHS should participate in and have their own pep rallies because they enable students to unite as a community, alleviate stress, and spend time with their classmates. 

Pep rallies help create a sense of unity among students at LHS, offering an excellent opportunity for students to come together, spend quality time, and show support for one another outside of the classroom. 

“It unites all of us and reminds us that we can have fun even when life can be stressful. It’s always possible for people to come together and have a good time,” Janet Liu, the vice president of LHS Class Council 2024, said. 

Seniors also express how the occasion enabled them to create stronger connections with their classmates and relish the time spent together. 

“I think that the pep rally is really important to the LHS community, since it’s hard to know people outside of an academic context,” Mia Lin, a senior on Hype Squad, said.

The event served as a trial run to see if pep rallies could be held safely for other grades. The senior pep rally was the first pep rally since the start of the pandemic, and its success could lead to the implementation of similar events in the near future. 

“Maybe in the future, freshmen and sophomores will have a pep rally together and juniors and seniors together,” Andrea Mariadoss, the Senate Secretary, said. 

Although underclassmen may feel less stressed, providing them with the pep rally experience will enable them to reap the same benefits the seniors experienced. 

“I think that this school is really serious, and everything is focused on academics, so I think that it’s good to take a break,” Andrew Baker, LHS’s interim principal, said. 

In the future, Baker will support pep rallies for other grades as long as the students are responsible for the planning.