According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, a pep assembly is an activity before a school sports event that is meant to get students and fans excited and to encourage the team to win.

GJHS holds about three assemblies a year, which include the Homecoming assembly, Winter sports assembly, and the Prom/Spring sports assembly, none of which seem to encourage school spirit or promote a team.

We watch Varsity seniors run around the gym and throw shirts to their friends. Then we wait for Student Council (STUCO) members to pick people from the crowd to participate in some sort of game. To conclude the assembly, each class does their cheer.

While the last five minutes of the assembly are exciting and spirited, playing a version of Hungry Hungry Hippos simply does not show support for our sports teams or upcoming events

Organizations like Academic Team or Mock Trial, some of our most successful teams, are never honored or given support at these assemblies.

One of the other problems with assemblies is the lack of attendance. Whether it’s because of popularity or seniority, many students lack the motivation and school spirit to attend, which is the entire point of assemblies. The student body is what makes these fun and worthwhile.

“If everyone thinks it will be bad, it will,” Jake Griffin, junior, said “If everyone is genuinely excited and genuinely gets hyped, we will have an unstoppable school.”

So what can we do to make assemblies more exciting?

Incentives are a great way to boost attendance. Maybe, there can be some competition. For example, whichever class has the most school spirit/best cheer gets donuts or pizza. Modeling what the theme is for the event is also a great way to get students ready.

Each year, Varsity Brands, a private company which is dedicated to elevating student experience through sport, spirit, and achievement, holds a competition for America’s Most Spirited High School with a prize of $25,000. The 2018-2019 winner is Carlsbad High School (Carlsbad, CA).

Varsity Brands summarizes the victory by emphasizing each element of school spirit that Carlsbad High shows. From cheering on each and every team fairly to organizing lunch events, this high school creates a fantastic model everyone should follow.

Rather than sitting in the gym and watching people play games, Carlsbad High gets involved, excited, and supports everyone.