The first pep rally of the school year kicked off following a spirit-filled week of jerseys, white lies and country club outfits. As excited students sporting their class colors packed the stands, the Sage Hill jazz band played a rendition of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” to amp up the energy. They were followed up by the national anthem, which was sung by Tati Malekzadeh ‘24. The Dance Team gave an electric performance to a mashup of “Meet Me Halfway” by the Black Eyed Peas and “Give Me Everything” by Pitbull.
Class co-chairs led their grades in the traditional class chant after the various performances. Students from all grades enthusiastically participated in their chants, blowing trumpets and ringing cowbells to add to the festivities. Similar to last year, Dean of School Life Dominic Campeau used a decibel meter to measure the volume of each chant impartially.
After the chants, each grade screened their music videos for the school to watch, with a variety of songs featured in every video. Freshmen danced to Taylor Swift’s “Delicate,” sophomores lip-synched to Fergie’s “Glamorous” and Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night,” juniors sang along to Drake’s “Hotline Bling” and seniors put together a photo montage of memories of their four years at Sage.
This pep rally marks the second time that music videos, instead of skits, were used to showcase each grade’s talents and students. The format change has received wide support from the Sage Hill community. Compared to skits, the music videos are more understandable and clear, said junior Emily Chen, adding that it’s easier for students to participate in the music videos.
The festivities continued with bubble soccer, in which students faced off in soccer whilst half-encased in an inflatable bubble. Though the sophomores quickly won their game against the freshmen, the match between the juniors and seniors dragged on for much longer, with both grades fiercely fighting for the win. Eventually, the match went to penalty kicks. Junior Noah Jimenez faced off against senior Aidan Raymer. The gym was filled with roaring cheers as the two played, bringing together students from all grades as they waited in anticipation for one of the players to score. The juniors eventually won the match, and the stadium burst into excitement as students rushed onto the gym floor to celebrate their victory.
This year, the Pep Rally judging panel consisted of Assistant Head of School for Academics Dr. Matthew Balossi, Director of Athletics Megan Cid and Campeau. After much deliberation, the panel declared the sophomores victors in overall spirit and best chant, with seniors in second, juniors third and freshmen last. As the results were announced, each grade erupted into jubilant cheers, with sophomores celebrating the loudest as they snatched their first Pep Rally victory.
As the festivities ended, students reflected on the spirit-filled week as they helped clean up the gym.
“I really enjoyed the day,” junior Melody Yu said. “I was happy to see my grade come together and try to win.”
