Cresskill High School held their annual pep rally in the gym on the 12th of September, 2024. The purpose of such a rally is to build excitement for upcoming fall athletic events, unify students and staff under one building, and evoke school spirit. It also motivates athletes by putting them in the spotlight, and fosters a sense of pride and belonging within the school. 

Interviewing students and alumni around the school, a wide range of opinions were found. When asked about her opinion of the rally, an anonymous student, (‘25), had a critical view of it. Being questioned about “what she looked for in a pep rally?” , she responded with “I look for hype, enthusiasm, and some kind of connection between the students. I feel like an event like this is meant to connect us, and make us feel proud of representing our school in sports.”. Then, when being asked right after if “she saw any of that displayed at the pep rally?”, she responded with a simple “No. It was actually really disappointing, and I hope that it gets better in future years.” 

On the contrary, when asked about his opinion on the pep rally, Mr.Massaro, the principal of the school had a more enthusiastic view of it. When posed with the same question of “what do you look for in a pep rally, and Did you see any of that displayed this year?” he responded with “energy and enthusiasm from all participants.” Regarding that question, he voiced that “Yes. I think it was typical. There’s going to be a variety of enthusiasm, some are more into it than others, especially because it has an athletic focus. The most enthusiasm seems to come from the athletes and marching band and color guard participants because they are actually a part of it, but the audience seems to be more attentive to what is happening.”

When compared, it definitely seems as though the students have a much different opinion of the Pep Rally: morals seem to lack here and there, but there still seems to be some hope with the alumn view of it being as good as always!