By Cassidy O’Neil, Online Editor
As you head into the gymnasium, the smell of sweat mixed with Axe Body Spray lingers in the air as warm, unfamiliar bodies bump against you. Passing through the double doors, you are greeted by a screaming crowd of huge monsters disguised as high schoolers. Welcome to your first day as a Nighthawk.
Except for this year.
Following a summer of turmoil, the nation feels more divided than ever in my short 16 years on Earth, and students are already dealing with the normal stress of high school and family life.
That’s why officials at First Flight made the decision to do away with the traditional first day of school pep rally.
Not having it this year was the right choice. As an upperclassman, my initial reaction to the news that we would not be having the annual pep rally was, “Seriously?”
But then I really thought about it. I put myself back in the mindset of a freshman. I remember being terrified. My mind was racing, wondering what high school would be like, how my classes would go and who I would sit with at lunch.
I was trying to play it cool, act like I was supposed to be here, like I was mature enough to be sitting in these bleachers, in this school with all these people. At the same time, I was absolutely spooked by the size of the crowd and the hostility I felt. It was all in good fun, but at the time, it didn’t feel like it.
The crowd was supposed to be yelling with us, but instead, it felt like I was being yelled at. I was scared of being singled out or doing the wrong thing. It was my first day of school and I just wanted to fit in and get through the day without confrontation. Instead, I spent the first moments of my high school career being herded into the gym (which is way bigger than any gym I had been in before) and being yelled at from all angles.
Sure, as an upperclassman I would have loved to have a pep rally this year, but after really thinking and remembering how I felt when I was a freshman, I completely understand and respect the decision to not have one at all. It all feels overwhelming, and with the political and racial tension that has been on full display lately in America, maybe it’s not the best idea to cram over 800 kids into the gym and let them scream whatever their hearts desire.
In a perfect world, where everyone thought about others’ feelings and treated others as they would want to be treated, the pep rally would easily be a positive and great experience, but it’s high school, and kids like to act wild and make their friends laugh without thinking about the repercussions. In a perfect world, the pep rally could have gone well, but considering the broken state of our country and the overwhelming nature of the event, I feel like the faculty made a good choice playing it safe this year.
YOUR TURN: What do you think of the decision to start the school year without the pep rally? Do you have any ideas for other ways to bring everyone together in a less intimidating way? Share your thoughts in the comments below: You have to give your email address when leaving a comment, but it will not appear. You can use your real name or a fake one.
Junior Cassidy O’Neil can be reached at o’neilca1210@daretolearn.org.
anonymous • Sep 14, 2017 at 9:01 am
albert nation ruins everything
Teacher • Sep 14, 2017 at 8:23 am
We need to be mindful that some people suffer from social anxiety, especially in large groups. This pep rally was mandatory and set the tone for the rest of the year. It was an unfortunate experience for students who are uncomfortable in such settings. Other such events are voluntary. Show your positive school spirit at the games and cultural events. Remember that the wording of some of the comments here lack understanding and compassion. This was not “tradition”; it was an event that happened for only a few years.
Graduate • Sep 14, 2017 at 12:53 pm
It didn’t happen for only two years. I did it all 4 years of high school. “Teacher” may have only been at FF for two years to see it.
Kira Foster • Sep 14, 2017 at 12:07 am
I had a pep rally my freshman year and sophomore and junior year. I was so upset when I found out that there was not going to be a pep rally this year. It was a tradition that all got to experience. There are other traditions the school has but you have to go out of your way to attend them. This tradition was one that everyone was able to attend and witness in unison. Coach Prince’s speech will always be with me wherever I go but I will also remember that my senior year I was jipped and didn’t get to hear it. It caused me to feel anger, disappointment and betrayal. I do not see it as fair. There is no way to go back in time and correct this wrong done to the senior class and the freshman class. I really wish this gets fixed and the upcoming classes get to experience what it meant to be a Nighthawk.
Jacy • Sep 13, 2017 at 9:59 pm
I understand how for some it can be intimidating, but for most it is not. Experiences like these are going to be the better memories you have of high school and it is sad to deprive students of the opportunity to make these memories. Sure it is intimidating for freshmen but it does give them an opportunity to see First Flight spirit first hand, and it will prepare them for life. Are you going to continue to shelter them when they have to sit in a large college auditorium where they know no one for freshmen orientation? The only solutions I can think of would be to have it later on in the week or to let kids choose to either watch announcements or go to the auditorium for the pep rally. I honestly hope that next year they bring it back because that is what I look forward to the most on the first day of school.
Lexi Foster • Sep 13, 2017 at 9:43 pm
I’m a freshman, I felt left out on the nighthawk experience from not being able to participate in the tradition. The reason for stopping the traditional pep rally was not smart in my opinion, all my friends I have asked about the pep rally seemed excited and when it didn’t happen I felt like the 2021 class as a whole felt at a loss. I loved the FFMS pep rallies because it was fun, loud and it bonded me with people I don’t usually interact with. They made our school spirit shoot through the roof and it was fun seeing my fellow classmates getting hype. I wish we would have had the pep rally and carried on the tradition. The excuse that the school made about not having it seemed unreasonable because everyone has things going on and it’s stressful, that’s just the reason to do it, it helps keep your mind off of it and it makes you feel welcomed by the upperclassmen.
That Guy • Sep 13, 2017 at 9:40 pm
These kids are not shouting “what ever their hearts desire” but a speech. And this speech is one of the most powerful upcoming speeches I have ever heard. I am somebody. I looked forward to the first day of school just for that one reason. From the looks of it you were just a scared little freshman who was afraid of loud noises and got absolutely nothing from what Coach prince was preaching. But everyone is entitled to their opinions of course 😉
Katie Gunzenhauser • Sep 13, 2017 at 9:17 pm
I was disappointed to hear that we would not be having the pep rally for our first day of senior year. I remember last year when I first came to First Flight, the pep rally was overwhelming in a way that made me realize I would learn the names of the strangers around me, befriend many of them and eventually in two years we would graduate together. The I am somebody speech is by far one of the greatest things an adult has ever said to me: we are all important. There is nowhere else except First Flight High School that I can look down and see a teacher screaming at the top of his lungs telling me these things. I’m sad we missed it this year but I hope that next August the freshmen and new kiddos can experience that feeling of being out of place for a moment while realizing just how welcomed they are into this new place.
Lukas Lewis • Sep 13, 2017 at 9:09 pm
Honestly bringing race into it, if anything the pep rally brought people together not divided them? And saying that kids are screaming whatever they want is way off. I’ve never once heard a kid scream anything other than “I am somebody” and in my opinion some kids need to hear and say that because on some days they really do feel like a nobody and coach Prince really brings in the spirit of making you feel like you matter. You also have no idea how much the I am somebody speech means to coach Prince he was really disappointed that he didn’t get to give it this year at a first day Pep rally. Sure he’ll get maybe one or two more chances in the year but he always loved giving that speech on the first day and still does love doing it. Also as a freshman yeah I felt separated from the group and a little frightened but I joined in with everyone else really quick and found a place. I find it disappointing they are killing all of our school traditions this year including our floats for homecoming and the First day pep rally. I can only hope they won’t change anything else. I’d also like to add that this is my SENIOR year, I won’t be getting another first day and it was definitely ruined for me personally. Why go to school for the first day after summer break just to jump into class? I feel like a little break would have been nice and WAS always nice. Bring it back so next year the seniors can have an actual good day to remember for their last first and so the new freshmen can have a good day to remember for their first first day of high school.
Kam Midgett • Sep 13, 2017 at 8:45 pm
Bring the pep rally back next year so the current junior class will have the chance to scream “I am somebody” as loud as they can as they begin their senior year. I wish we had the chance this year as seniors. Yes the pep rally can be intimidating but you are there with all of your classmates, friends, and peers. Everyone had to be a freshman entering the gym on their first day of high school at some point, until this year. Most of us seniors looked forward to our last first day of school “I am somebody” speech. Last year, as juniors Coach Prince looked at us and mentioned how we would be standing where the seniors are at this point next year; however, that was not the case. It was a little disappointing.
Brayleigh Jones • Sep 13, 2017 at 8:39 pm
When I was a freshman, the pep rally was so cool to me because it was nothing like we had done in middle school, it was an eye opener that we were IN HIGH SCHOOL. From then on, I couldn’t think about a first day of school without losing my breath from screaming the I am somebody speech. Taking it away this year was selfish and not a good decision. I’ve heard rumors that it was because some people get scared or uncomfortable during it. That shouldn’t take away the fun and excitement from everyone else, and you’re in high school, if you can’t make it through a pep rally then you need to grow up.
Lauren Deal • Sep 13, 2017 at 8:36 pm
I was sorry we didn’t have it this year because that’s a tradition that I enjoy and I think it’s very special and unique to First Flight, but I can’t disagree with your points. I might have felt the same way as a freshman. I’m hopeful that First Flight will find other ways this year to promote spirit and unity to make up for losing that particular school tradition, and it makes me look forward to the “I am somebody” speech at the Homecoming pep rally even more! Excellent article.
Savannah Wallace • Sep 13, 2017 at 9:07 am
I think that not having a pep rally this year was a terrible idea. I think that sheltering kids from things they are scared to do puts an effect on their abilities to overcome their fears and grow as a person individually. As a freshman, I thought that the pep rally was an awakening experience seeing everyone come together as a class and a school. It never crossed my mind, or anyone else I’ve talked to, that not having a first day pep rally was a good idea. Also, I even talked to freshmen who were very confused as to why the pep rally was cancelled; they saw no problem with having one. Yes it’s scary, but it’s an experience that I think every kid must endure because it demonstrates First Flight’s spirit and sets an example for the year to come. I always wanted, ever since freshman year, to be a senior and scream on the bleachers. I think that there were other ways to solve this “problem” than just cancelling it in all. Maybe they should have held one later on in the week or asked the student body instead of assuming everybody wanted that. I think the school should have handled it better since it was such a controversial topic. I see where you’re coming from, but I also teared up knowing that we would never get our senior “I am somebody” speech, and at the football game, seeing that the freshmen had no idea what we were chanting. I’m sorry, but not having a pep rally was an unpopular opinion because it was the wrong thing to do. Great story, though.