Process Essay

Submitted By caelyshea
Words: 1103
Pages: 5

Caely O'Donnell
Mr. Tringali
AP Comp
22 October 2014 How to Plan an Effective Pep Rally
Quick! What is the first thing that comes to mind when a student thinks of school spirit? PEP RALLEY!
During the school year there are various activities to get excited about and come together as one school. From Friday night football games to "Under the sea" homecoming dances the energy is always bursting. What better way to come together and show school spirit than a pep rally? Organized school events such as this are a crucial part to bonding as a school and team. A beneficial and high energy pep rally can be executed by creating and carrying out a well-organized game plan. The year was 2013, the football team was at its prime and so was our energy. The chief had a strong dominant personality that gathered attention from the utmost rambunctious crowds. His presence alone caused the entirety of the student body to silence, the words flowed out of his mouth as if he had been anticipating and practicing for this speech his entire life. When he commanded, "Get loud!" the students got louder when he commanded, "Quiet down". there was not a noise to be heard. Never had a schools students felt the sense of unity than we had that Friday morning, from that moment on each of us as individual students knew we were a part of something much bigger-something special. Not only was that pep rally effective in increasing our school spirit and support for the football team but it provoked more in all of the students, feelings or pride and love for their peers and most of all for our entire school. The first and most crucial step in planning an effective pep rally is nominating a bold and outgoing leader. This leadership role is like no other; it is not like conducting a science project or managing a store full of employees, it’s much bigger than that. As shown in Figure one, this mascot is a bold leader for his team and gets the crowd going as soon as he steps on the field. This individual must possess the convivial personality to be able to connect with the entire student body. This includes knowing how the students think, feel, and react to various approaches in leading the rally. The ability to take initiative and speak he or she’s mind is essential in planning a pep rally. With a time limit and budget it is the leader’s main focus to deliver a well thought out and structured school activity. An effective leader has to have a personality fit for the job; they must be an innovator with an abundance of energy, a desire to lead the school, ability to focus and organize, and lastly a creative mind. Such as the chief in 2013, he was a well-rounded and determined figure with a personality effective in governing the students and leading them in school spirit.

Figure 1. The mascot or leader cheering on his home team.

Creativity is key in developing the students game plan, the rally first needs an overall theme. Everyone needs to know what the students cheering for, right? The theme creates a general idea for the rally, and helpful concept for planning the decor and activities around. When pondering a theme, the leader needs to think of an idea that the students can participate in and work with that will be effective in getting everyone involved. For example the theme from the 2013 rally was Red, Black, and Bow Day. This idea allowed the students to design outfits to suite the color theme and also enabled them to see how many bows they could incorporate in their outfits. Being able to design their outfits around the theme initiated student involvement and brought everyone together for a common purpose. Let’s face it, screaming at the top of the lungs is not going to cut it for the entirety of the pep rally. This is why it is important to plan activities. Organized games are essential in the flow of the event. The idea of a pep rally is to increase everyone’s spirit and energy, so it is important to pay attention to any gaps or pauses in the