Packing the small gym, the morning rally drew a full house. Photo by MARIAH FAIRBANKS
The gym shook with chants of “Let’s go, Cats!” as students showed their spirit at 6:30 a.m., putting on a show for Good Morning Sacramento’s cameras Oct. 1. Screams and yells could be heard from the D buildings as upperclassmen led the cheering and chanting.
“The rally was beast and I was making my noise while everyone else was making theirs,” Morgan Green said, excited about the football game at Woodcreek.
Activities director Jason Feuerbach planned this event months before, filling out applications, hoping WHS would be one of the 20 schools selected out of 240 high schools in the Sacramento area.
Though students are usually spirited at the rallies the atmosphere for this event took on a different tone. “Live television adds a whole new dimension,” Feuerbach said.
Since this was the first televised rally at school, leadership students made sure ASB had plenty of games and activities planned for event.
“We were supposed to have a lunchtime activity last week, but we decided to move it and use it for the rally this morning,” spirit commissioner Davonte Brown said.
Following reporter Ashley Williams’ cues, leadership students led games in which free dance tickets were awarded to the winners. These games included balloon popping and throwing paper airplanes into trash cans used as goals. However, some students did not get to experience the excitement inside, and were locked outside.
“I got there at 6:35 a.m. but it was too late and they wouldn’t let me in. I tried to sneak in three times for a doughnut because I left too early to eat breakfast. Finally, my friend stole one for me,” Shane Wilson said.
And despite the outpouring of support and bleachers filled past capacity, not all students wanted to attend.
“I didn’t really want to wake up that early and stay in school for that long, but if it took out class time I would have gone,” Ayda Sadeghian said.
These students missed the entertainment that was broadcast all over Sacramento, which captured Evan Orrick ripping his pants off to reveal gold spandex.
“I’m just crazy. It comes naturally and I have a lot spirit, and I bring the energy level up at rallies,” Orrick said.
The morning rally was to show school spirit and boost support for the upcoming football game on the road, but the live broadcast was also designed as a friendly competition between WHS and Woodcreek, that night’s football opponent. Students watching from home said the Woodcreek rally showing only about 70-80 students compared to the nearly 800 here.
The broadcast aired again at noon and 4 p.m. on Channel 31.
By ILAF ESUF & KAVYA PATHAK
