Every student has attended some kind of pep rally. Most students don’t do anything more than sit in the bleachers and cheer, but there’s always an entertainment element – usually a performance by the band, cheerleaders, and other groups at the school.

“I love watching the pep rallies,” said sophomore Vanessa Taylor. “But I don’t think I could perform in one!”

The students that show off their talents for the rest of the school are usually those that are in a sport or a musical class. They spend a lot of time rehearsing, but it turns out to be worth it. Freshman and member of the Color Guard Jasmine Abdul certainly seems to think so.

“I love performing with the Color Guard,” Abdul says, “especially at pep rallies. It’s so cool seeing all those people watching you.”

Due to Wiregrass’ large numbers there are two pep rallies. That means that at each rally, there’s over a thousand students eagerly watching the gathering of teenagers in the center of the gymnasium.

“It’s nerve wracking, definitely,” said freshman cheerleader MacKenzie McLendon. “But seeing all those people cheering after the event is one of the best feelings.”

However, they don’t just stand up and throw a flag or hit a drum. There’s a lot of planning and rehearsal that goes into the choreography and compositions.

“We sometimes spend weeks on these performances,” said Abdul. “It’s exhausting, but I don’t mind. The outcome is so much fun, it’s worth all the work.”

Each Pep Rally is 40 minutes long, and they are planned down to the minute. At this Pep Rally specifically, there was a Veteran recognition, a teacher dance,  a step team dance, band and color guard performed, and cheer performed. Each activity took up about 3-5 minutes of time.

“It’s a lot of work for a short bit of time,” said McLendon. “But it’s fun to watch and fun to perform, and as long the team and I make the crowd happy, it’s worth it.”

Gallery • 5 Photos

Honoring the veterans at the Pep Rally