On Jan. 16, a sea of cavaliers flooded the gymnasium in waves of spirited colors. Each grade was covered in distinct shades of Coral Gables High gear to show their class pride. Grade levels competed at the spirit pep rally and witnessed performances from various clubs and teams. Leading into a four-day weekend, students took advantage of the pep rally and dressed up to attend the colorful event.
To attend the spirit pep rally, students of each class had to wear a certain color of clothes and accessories. The freshman wore grey, sophomores wore black, juniors dressed in flashy white and seniors, Gables’ signature red. Along with their shirts, students had to wear at least two more accessories of their respective color.
“Pep rallies make it feel like I’m more involved and invested into school and unlike middle school, everyone is much more spirited. This makes school much more enjoyable and being able to participate in events does help me gain more school pride and give me a different perspective of the school life,” freshman Bella Domecq said.
As the clock hit 1:30 p.m., students flooded into the gymnasium, excited to watch the first pep rally of 2025. Not knowing what to expect, students of all classes conversed with anticipation in the packed hallway. Once students entered the gym, loud music echoed throughout the room, while the cheerleading squad danced to fan favorite songs. The students were divided into four sections of the gym. Freshman and seniors sat on one side, while the sophomores and juniors sat on the other. In suspense, students gathered with their friends, singing songs played by the DJ and talking before the start.
“We originally started learning the stunts the week before winter break. Then after the break, we practiced the dances all the way up to the day of the pep rally, putting everything together. The last week before the pep rally, we practiced in the gym to get our formations. The main stunts we practiced were the extension switch up and an extension heel stretch,” sophomore Paula Mejia said.
Once everyone was seated in their respective sections of the gym, Mistresses of Ceremonies, seniors Angelina Morffi and Melissa Hernandez, ran onto the center of the gym demanding cheers from all grades as they hyped up the crowd. To begin the pep rally, CavBoy sprinted along side the bleachers waving the Cavalier flag, receiving claps and cheers from all students, especially his fellow freshman. Unfortunately, CavBoy had to announce that CavMan could not arrive to this pep rally, but this did not dismay the crowd.
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Soon after, the cheerleaders, coached by Mrs. Noval, were ready to perform. With music playing, the team put on a show, showcasing several challenging stunts, students were shocked by their incredible performance, launching girls into the air to perform an aerial twist. Having practiced for weeks, the team perfected this move and showcased it to everyone in the gym.
As soon as the cheerleaders finished, Morffi and Hernandez announced the first game. A group of six students would sit together on the floor with their arms interlocked. In this position, the students would use their legs to move forwards in a race between all grades.
After a demonstration from the hype crew, students hoped to be chosen to compete. Once the teams were chosen, the freshman faced the sophomores, while the juniors faced the seniors. The sophomores ended up beating the freshman and the seniors reigned victorious over the freshmen. To finish the competition, the sophomores and the seniors competed in a tense race for first place. In a climactic finish, the seniors won the race by an inch, and the seniors covered in crimson engulfed the gym in cheers.
“I was really excited to be chosen as I have never played a game in the pep rally before. When our group sat down we came up with a game plan of moving with a beat. We would say go every time we would move forward. Afterwards, my legs were a little sore, but it was a lot of fun, because we had everyone cheering and having the pressure of beating the seniors,” sophomore Jose Vela said.
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Succeeding the amusing game, the Bhangra dance team lined up. Not knowing what was to come, students cheered on the team and unexpectedly enjoyed a very interesting dance. The dance was organized to look like a dance battle between two groups. The two groups were the traditional Bhangra group and versing them, a hip hop group. They started with the hip hop dance which incorporated traditional moves. The performance ended with their traditional Bhangra group in exciting fashion.
“The dance was really high energy, but it was a lot of fun to perform in front of the gym. Not many people know about this, and I am happy we were able to show this off to the school. Also having the hip hop group dancing made it entertaining for those who don’t know much about Bhangra,” sophomore Nagely Carrasquillo said.
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After the entertaining performance, students played the second and final game of the afternoon. A student would hold a balloon to their chest and their teammate would run, jump and collide with the person holding the balloon, trying to pop it. This process would continue for all four people in a team.
After the groups were chosen for this game, students lined up on one side of the gym and would sprint across the gym to pop their teammates’ balloon. After an intense and close game, the seniors ended up victorious again in the second game.
“This game was definitely the most fun and funniest game of the pep rally, and I really enjoyed participating in it with my friends. We ran and hoped that we would do well. We had some very uncomfortable moments throughout the race like when my phone fell out of my pocket and dropped the balloon. Besides that, it was a lot of fun, and I hope to play in another one of the games,” sophomore Vincenzo Lopez said.
As the school day was coming to an end, the students in the gym looked towards the alma mater and in unison, recited the anthem with pride. After an entertaining hour of fun, students walked out of the gym with smiles on their faces awaiting their long weekend to come. As for the seniors, they enjoyed and won their last spirit pep rally before graduation, making this a unforgettable yet bittersweet memory.