A pep assembly, also known as a pep rally, is the gathering of all members of the RM community, including students, staff and faculty, to encourage school spirit and enthusiasm. At Richard Montgomery, pep rallies typically occur three times every school year to build excitement and show school support for the three seasons of athletics RM has. It is a long-standing high school tradition that combines various events and activities that are both engaging and entertaining. Every school varies on how they choose to showcase their school pride.
“We usually have two to three: fall, winter, spring, and the reason we have them is to celebrate sports of the season, give students a day off—kind of like a mental health day they can just take a break, chill, and they’re fun to have if you’re there to participate. Also (to show) school spirit, and it’s necessary to create unity,” senior and member of the Spirit Committee Udy Mbanaso said.
In addition, senior Sophia Zhang, member of the Special Function Executive board,and captain of the varsity cheerleading team, believes pep rallies are important for familiarizing students with different student organizations at RM. “[They’re] a way for us to show school spirit, and to showcase all the sports, teams, and clubs here at RM,” she said.
RM has many sports, over one hundred clubs, extracurricular activities and communities, and is inclusive to all students. Pep rallies raise support and awareness for these activities, making the student body feel welcomed and heard.
However, pep rallies do not just come together overnight. In the SGA, there are various sectors such as the spirit committee and special planning committees. “Around 25-30 people, plus teachers, all plan different parts of it and we start a month in advance,” senior and spirit coordinator Sarah Levit said.
Economics teacher Chris Hinsvark is the Student Government Sponsor. “The whole student leadership class pitches in to help plan for this pep rally but it’s mostly the spirit committee that is doing the planning for us,” he said. “There’s a lot involved in it, a lot of preparations from purchasing things like spirit items and giveaways. We gave away tee shirts at our last pep rally as well as structuring it to make sure that time fits… within the constraints that administrations give us.” The Student Government Association and all committees put in a lot of time and effort to make events like these happen.
This tradition is essential to the high school experience.“People look forward to it, especially people who are involved in extracurriculars like showing off what they do and getting that recognition because it’s a big time investment,” Levit said.
The majority of students look forward to this fun and upbeat occasion, in comparison to their hard working and tiring school day. The high school experience is about trying new things, meeting new people, and supporting the students around you.
“Pep rallies are a great way to recognize both the teams and especially the captains of all the sports teams and also it’s a way for our poms, cheer, and recently our dance team to perform in front of a crowd. We want to keep that going so that we can give all our student athletes the recognition they deserve, ” Mr. Hinsvark said.
Getting pepped up about the various extracurricular activities that Richard Montgomery has to offer and cheering on your peers and classmates unites the student body. This unity allows students to feel a sense of community, enthusiasm, and belonging. Although pep rallies celebrate the different clubs, teams, and organizations at RM that may set students apart, pep rallies bring together all students and all grades in a common space. Everyone feels the same excitement.
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