This past month, cheers filled the Stewart Field bleachers as students and staff flooded from classrooms for a highly-anticipated school-wide event: Hunterdon Central’s annual pep rally. The week leading up to it not only celebrated school spirit but also prompted a sense of community between students and staff. With a variety of games, performances, and competitions, the pep rally was an energizing event that brought the student body closer together.
Leading up to the pep rally, Hunterdon Central hosted a spirit week competition for all grades, where students arrived each day in a variety of themed outfits. Each day featured a different theme, from “College Day” to “Class Color Day”, and many students participated to showcase their school spirit. As the week went on, the creativity and spirit only grew, as students were able to get creative with their hair for “Crazy Hair Day,” as well as show off their country side for “Western Wednesday”. Spirit week has always invoked fierce competition between the grades as the halls fill with students competing for spirit points. After a week full of creativity and school pride, the overall winner of Spirit Week was the Class of 2027, who have been in the lead for two consecutive years now. Their display of teamwork not only highlighted their dedication but set a bar for future classes to aim to surpass.
While the Spirit Week had many students showing their school spirit, the main event of the week was the Pep rally. High levels of anticipation could be felt across the student body, with many hoping for an intense, jam-packed event. The rally started off with performances by the Hunterdon Central cheer and dance teams, which immediately brought an upbeat energy to the event. Shortly after this, The Color Guard also hosted a performance with the marching band that excited both the eyes and ears of the Central community. The performances gave other students a chance to see their classmates in action as they expressed themselves and their hard work. As the rally went on, there were a series of various highly competitive games, which included tug-of-war, dizzy bat, and a scooter race. Tug of War seemed to be the overall highlight and had many participants from all grades, all of which came with the intent to win; the Class of 2027 quickly took the lead. Many staff members also participated in Tug of War, which culminated in a nail-biting finale. One participant, Robbie Lubener, says “It went well. I like participating in the pep rally, as it’s fun to compete with the other grades.” Robbie participated in the “Tug of War” event and worked cooperatively with his classmates to win the entire pep rally. In addition, students were also able to participate in a scooter race, where they worked together with their classmates to race around the track, alongside the cheers of a boisterous crowd.
Overall, this month’s Pep Rally at Hunterdon Central was a thrilling event that brought together both students and staff. Ultimately, the pep rally was a way to remind the student body about the excitement of coming together with their classmates and working together as one. While many students are anxious to see who will take the win next year, it is sure to bring even more excitement and school spirit.
