On Friday, December 9, 2022, Santiago High School held a Hollywood red carpet-themed pep rally. With a vast Hollywood sign-off to the side of the gym, students grew more excited to see what awaited them. Entering the large building, posters were hung everywhere in support of every grade level, and handheld pompoms for the audience to show their support for different teams performing or introducing themselves. To suit the theme, the performing teams came in as different celebrities and the first introduction of the night was the cheer team going as Ariana Grande. Their performance was remarkable and the best way to get spirits lifted for the rest of the day.

The team to next be presented was hip-hop whose act was anticipated. Going as the singer Drake, did a mashup of his songs and gained the loudest response when “In My Feelings” started playing. Ending their turn with a final drop, the color guard team who went as Harry Styles were the next to go, and with the loudest cheers coming from the Juniors and Sophomores section after their celebrity pick was announced, they began their act while twirling their orange and pink flags. Adding their own style to it, the crowd then began singing along to popular songs and ending their set with big smiles.

The Black Sea who was also highly anticipated did their set as Meghan Thee Stallion and were the second group other than the cheerleaders to get the audience to cheer the most. Who really got a response from the crowd during the black sea performance was our school’s mascot who drew positive attention. The act who went as Bruno Mars, the drumline was the next to walk down to the carpet and their stage was the best way to transition into the games that would be played next by some sports teams such as boy’s soccer, girls’ basketball, and others.

The first game to be played which engaged the audience was “finish the lyric game”. Many teams participated and if anyone didn’t know on the floor, the audience would sing along for the players. The team who did not end up winning, in the end, was boys soccer and the “punishment” given was to be “glitter-bombed” which gave the crowd a laugh.

The final performance was done by the dance team who played Pitbull and brought up the energy once again as people were singing along and waving their pom-poms. Towards the end of the rally, it was announced who won first place in the spirit week competition, and by a shocking surprise to many, Seniors came in third place. The Freshman came in fourth place, Sophomores came in second, and Juniors came in first place. To finish off the rally, students were brought together as they began singing the Alma Mater which was led by the choir and all the groups came to the center of the gym. As some may also agree, this year’s winter pep rally, was a big turnout.