Pep rallies have been around for decades. They’ve been seen on our televisions everywhere from Grease to Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide. The common trend: the majority of pep rallies on screen have happened during school, and we think it should be the same for Johnson.

Pep rallies are a way to boost school spirit, but not if no one attends. Pep rallies should be held during school, since people have things to do after school hours whether it be homework, practice or just plans with family. This could also encourage more students to attend the football games as well, especially if the pep rally coordinated themes with the Jungle. No one wants to perform if there’s no audience. School spirit will increase when the students feel like their presence is valued and/or needed.

A possible concern about having rallies during the school day is space. With over three thousand students, finding a spot to hold all of our students can prove challenging. However, we’ve come up with a solution to bring pep back to where it belongs: school.

Each pep rally could be during alternating periods, so that students aren’t always missing the same class. Students will also have something to look forward to during school. It is way more convenient to students and it would give them a break during the day.  Another viable option would be to have optional pep rallies during lunch or flex periods. Even if it’s still up to the students to go, having that opportunity during school will lead to a spike in attendance.

With students juggling after-school jobs, homework, athletics, and family time, surely we can make some room for pep in our school day without the hassle of having to go back and forth to support our fellow Jags. Having pep rallies during school will not only lead to an increase in attendance for the rallies, which is great for performers, but also to an increase in game attendance. The increased energy around school will also increase school spirit- and there can never be enough of that.