After eighteen months of quarantine, students at Eleanor Roosevelt High School (ERHS) were bursting with excitement the morning of Saturday, October 16, 2021. Staff members and students from the Class Councils and SGA had planned a day full of school spirit and friendly competitions on the football field.

Along with the students returning to in-person learning, two new classes, 24’ and 25’, were welcomed into the school. This pep rally was especially significant because the only class who had seen a competitive pep rally were the 22’ seniors before the pandemic.

Kacie Bailey, a 24’ sophomore at ERHS, expressed her excitement for the event and looked forward to “hanging out with [her] friends and having a good time,” while creating new high school memories. Kacie anticipated the performances as it was her “first time seeing the African Student Union [perform].”

Dez Holland, a 22’ senior at ERHS, emphasized her excitement “to finally be able to feel the school spirit [because] it has been so long, due to COVID.” Dez added, “…to have these times back is really nice.”

To start the morning, limbo was the first game played in the center of the football field. As the last two classes were battling it out, classes who were already eliminated were cheering on the others from the bleachers. The seniors were the victors followed by the 25’ freshmen.

The next game to be played was a school favorite, musical chairs. After the seniors were the first to be knocked out, the final two circling the last chair was the sophomores and the 23’ juniors. Once the music had stopped, the junior classman was in the chair, securing the juniors the win.

A monumental moment was made in the next game. What everyone thought would have been a free win for the seniors took an unexpected turn. When matched against the freshmen in tug-of-war, the seniors had lost. On top of this, the juniors had also been defeated by the sophomores, making this the first time in ERHS history where the freshmen and the sophomores were both in the tug-of-war championship game. After an intense match, the sophomores had successfully pulled the freshmen over the line, making them the winners of tug-of-war.

The seniors were able to recover from the tug-of-war loss, by winning the relay race for the boys and the girls. Students from all classes gathered around the track field, running alongside the participants and cheering them on.

Before the last activity, the school’s step team, Dem Raider Boyz (DRB), and the African Student Union (ASU) performed for the students, keeping the school spirit high! For many, this was the first time seeing these groups perform and they did not disappoint.

The last activity of the event was powderpuff. As the girls from different classes played flag football, the boys acted as cheerleaders keeping the crowd pumped. The freshmen played against the juniors, and the seniors played against the sophomores. The championship game followed with the juniors versus the seniors. In the last few minutes of the match, the juniors made a touchdown, ending the game 0-6.

After the events concluded, the seniors had won the most competitions and therefore were the winners of the fall pep rally!

Kimberly “Kim” Taylor, the 2022 class President, explained that the pep rally was a success and she was “excited to see so many students show up with so much school spirit.” Kim enjoyed how invested everyone was in the competitions, stating “all grades were cheering and encouraging their teammates.”

Ijeamaka Onuorah, a 22’ senior at ERHS, also enjoyed the event, explaining that she missed “watching the classes come together and compete.”

Renee Austin, a 25’ freshman at ERHS, noted she “had a lot of fun participating in all the games and seeing DRB and ASU perform.” Renee specifically enjoyed the powderpuff because she is on the ERHS Cheerleading team and she is “used to watching from the sidelines, but playing was really fun.” Renee believes the pep rally “is good for class bonding… and making new friends.” She was shocked when other classes were cheering their opponents on but felt encouraged. She added, “[the upperclassmen] bring such good vibes to the school and to our peers.”

This event was a great way to introduce the new classes to the school spirit at ERHS, and students are definitely looking forward to the next pep rally.