By Eric Furth
Calendar Editor
Despite complaints about scheduling issues and limited class time during the most recent Homecoming Pep Rally, Pep Rallies are outlets for students to become excited for upcoming games and school activities while also displaying pride in Mira Costa. However, they should be scheduled in a fashion which does not disrupt the learning environment.
Pep Rallies are events where a designated hour is set aside during the ordinary school day for students to observe the Associated Student Body and various upper- and lower-classmen compete in an assortment of games and activities to raise school spirit in anticipation for an upcoming event, such as the annual Homecoming football game.
According to ASB member Brett Davis, Pep Rallies bring more school spirit to campus. There’s only one major Pep Rally per year, during Homecoming, and he wishes there could be more. Taking an hour out of the day to allow the school to come together is a scarce opportunity. However, this hour should be prioritized so that classes are able to have a reasonable amount of time for teachers to get through their lesson plans without having a significantly shortened period.
Because every attendee of the Pep Rallies has the chance to participate in chants or class games at the beginning of each one, exclusion is essentially non-existent because it requires a team effort to uphold the exciting and invigorating reputation they’re known for. Attending Pep Rallies is considered to be one of the most essential actions in raising both class and school spirit.
According to junior Sean Syed, Pep Rallies raise school spirit for those who enjoy attending them and that there are alternate methods towards exhibiting school spirit and pride. The way the most recent Pep Rally was scheduled was as best as it could have been scheduled due to Office Hours. In the future, Pep Rallies should be scheduled on days or at times which will alter class schedules to a minimal extent.
The multitude of ways any Costa student can exhibit school spirit is entirely boundless and up to the students themselves on how they choose to represent Mira Costa in their own personal way. For some, Pep Rallies do fulfill that idea, but they aren’t universally praised by the entire student body.
According to Syed, he shows school spirit through participation in programs at Costa. He doesn’t believe that physical actions, such as wearing “Stampede” shirts or painting one’s face in green or gold, solely determine whether or not one possesses school spirit.
Class lengths were already diminished in time because of the newly-established Office Hours schedule, and placing the recent Pep Rally directly in the middle of this reduced class time to approximately 35 minutes each. This was difficult for teachers, who had to alter or entirely abandon fully-fledged lesson plans for the day because students wouldn’t have enough time to comprehend it.
According to Costa principal Dr. Ben Dale, Pep Rallies are worth the possible conflicts in scheduling because of how involved all the attendants are in the many festivities planned. While school spirit and student participation are aspects of the Pep Rallies to be praised, the lack of adequate and fair scheduling leaves classes disoriented on how to proceed with the day.
School spirit, as well as how to raise it, is always a topic of discussion amongst the student body at Costa. Pep Rallies are enjoyable, entertaining, and a welcome addition to the occasional monotony of the school week. Classes should be able to proceed with minimal interruption or shortening, if possible, when looking to accommodate these events.
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