Orchard Park High School kicks off Homecoming Weekend, which is typically the last weekend in September, with the Pep Rally. This year Homecoming Weekend starts Friday, September 27 at 6 pm in the gymnasium with the rally and ends Saturday, September 28 at 10:30 pm with the conclusion of the Homecoming Dance. The pep rally is filled with fun games and activities to encourage students in Orchard Park High School to be a part of their community.
OP Senior Shaylene Makowski loves going to the pep rally because, as she described, “The energy is great, and the atmosphere is fun and loud. It really gets you hyped for the Powderpuff game.”
I had a chance to sit down with Mr. Botticelli to learn more about the tradition of the pep rally:
Why did you want to be involved with the pep rally?
Botticelli: I wanted to be involved to make the school fun, and I wanted to make it more of a community event, and not a school event.
How long have you been running the pep rally?
Botticelli: 15 years
Do you know how long the pep rally has been a tradition at Orchard Park High School?
Botticelli: Further back around in the 1980s. It used to be an assembly at the end of the school day, but now we have made it into something better.
I also sat down with Senior and Cheerleader Lilliana Croft, as well, and asked her why she wanted to be a part of the pep rally:
Why did you want to be involved with the pep rally?
LC: As I got elected cheer captain this year, I wanted to be able to make a bigger impact on the school spirit because the attendance at football games has been super low these past few years, and I feel like the pep rally is a good way to increase spirit in general…
Do you feel the pep rally is a great way for students to come together as a school?
LC: Yes, I think seeing everyone in the gym at the same time is a cool experience, and then the way everyone walks down to Powderpuff together makes our high school feel very united.
Isabella Hooper, a junior at Orchard Park High School had a different outlook on the pep rally, “…I wasn’t a fan of how discriminating the other classes were against freshmen, but looking back, it’s kind of a right of passage as a freshman…”
But Junior Eliza Stanley has been to the pep rally and said, “Musical chairs are my favorite.” The games at the pep rally excite and engage the students and encourage class unity and involvement.
And there you have it. The Orchard Park Pep Rally has been a long-standing tradition. We’ll see you there!
