On April 11, UHS hosted its annual Spring Pep Rally in the Big Gym. This event, being the final pep rally of the year, highlighted the current spring sports season, gave us a peek at next year’s elected Associated Student Body, featured performances by the pep squad, dance team, and orchestra and boosted excitement for the end of the school year.
The pep rally began with senior Chloe Schiffman singing the national anthem. Despite knowing all eyes were on her, Schiffman overcame the pressure and thrived.
“I’m not in any sports, so being able to participate in the pep rally was an amazing experience,” Schiffman said. “I’ve always been intimidated by the vocal range it takes to sing the national anthem, yet I practiced over and over again, so to see my hard work get rewarded by positive reactions from my friends, teachers and the school alike was all I could ever ask for.”
After this, senior and Student Activities Coordinator Tak Nishida and senior and Student and Rally Commissioner Handersen Lee energized the crowd. This time, they had help from next year’s SAC, junior Ryan Delpassand, and next year’s Student and Rally Commissioner, junior Gidget Smith. Then, senior and Boys’ Sports Commissioner Geoff Soriano and senior and Girls’ Sports Commissioner Asha Highsmith introduced their successors for next year, junior Diego Sosa and sophomore Ayla Agahi.
Team representatives from each spring sport competed in Spikeball games. Following this, Delpassand let those team representatives cut his hair however they wanted, and the crowd burst into laughter.
“I really enjoyed being able to compete against other sports in a game as competitive as Spikeball,” Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse Captain and senior Alexis Fazeli said. “I was nervous at first going up, but once I began playing with my co-captain Ella, I had a really great time.”
This was the last pep rally for seniors, and UHS demonstrated its appreciation for them as much as possible. When it was time to hype up crowds, seniors got to experience something that was missing from the last pep rally. Over at the senior section, Lee made sure to yell out “Four more years!”, a cheer that acknowledges the four years seniors have experienced here at UHS and their time and memories along with it. The audience reciprocated their love for the cheer by repeating it, leading to a very special moment for seniors celebrating their time and nearing graduation.
“I’m really glad the senior year cheer came back, I feel it’s a vital part of UHS pep rally culture that was missing from our winter pep rally,” senior Tina Aali said. “When I was a freshman, I remember telling my friends how I wanted to do the cheer myself.”
Many seniors shared the same excitement about the cheer, viewing it as a meaningful tradition that unites the graduating class.
“Being able to do it now is surreal to me, so I’m very glad it made a return, and I hope it stays in the future for years to come,” senior Martiza Guzman added.
The Spring Pep Rally did a fantastic job bringing students and staff together to appreciate UHS culture and spirit. With so many exceptional performances, the event left a memorable impression on all students alike, which we can expect more of in the coming years.
