On October 13, students and faculty came together for the fall PHS Pep Rally. The event welcomed several of PHS’s musical and athletic programs and included grade-wide relay races as well as competitions between students and faculty.

Earlier in the day, sophomores and juniors took the PSAT before heading to the Tiger Stadium. The rally was intentionally scheduled so that students who tested in the morning would have a chance to unwind.

“Usually, if you do PSAT in the morning, the classes are kind of a wash. If you try to have a schedule of classes [in the afternoon], everyone’s all burnt out, [so] no one’s paying attention anyway. So the idea of using the afternoon for a fun school activity is why we had the pep rally there,” said PHS Principal Frank Chmiel.

Chmiel applauded the teamwork that went into organizing the pep rally on top of PSAT testing and supervising students across school’s campus.

“Managing the PSAT in the morning while trying to set up for the pep rally was a challenge. But it was a fun challenge because I didn’t have to do it alone. We have a whole team of people,” Chmiel said.

With many new additions and changes to the rally, PHS Dean of Students Diana Lygas was excited to see the planning come to life.

“I was super excited for Mr. Chmiel because he brought a new life into what our pep rally could be. And I was excited for him to bring in some new components that we’ve never seen before, bringing a lot more energy and enthusiasm,” Lygas said.

The Student Advisory Board also helped plan the event and facilitated several activities during the rally.

“I want to give credit to our Student Advisory Committee and Student Council members who helped with planning, picking events, organizing things — they were literally counting people for relay races. I’m just very proud of our school,” Chmiel said.

The event kicked off with an introduction of Student Council members, followed by a cappella performances of the Star-Spangled Banner and PHS’s alma mater sung by Around Eight and Cat’s Meow, respectively. After cheerleading performances, PHS’s fall sports teams were honored by being introduced onto the field.

“It was really fun. We’ve never done anything like this before, and I’ve always wanted to do more high school stuff like this. So it was really great that [Principal] Chmiel put it together,” said varsity girls field hockey player Erin Kiesewetter ’22.

Some of the rally’s events required students to sign up beforehand in order to participate, including a balloon-popping relay race, a tricycle race, and a tug-of-war. All three followed similar formats, where participants from each grade competed to determine a winner who would then play against a staff member. The final event was cut slightly short after the rope for tug-of-war snapped; however, it brought more enthusiasm for a rematch in the next pep rally.

Overall, students at the event agreed that the pep rally revitalized PHS school spirit.

“It was really cool to see all the sports teams out here and everyone cheering,” said Emily Wu ’23.

Echoing student opinions, Chmiel also sees the importance of pep rallies.

“Pep rallies are extremely important for bringing the school together. First, [they honor] our hard-working scholar-athletes. Our scholar-athletes really sacrifice a lot of their time. They bring home a lot of their school work after long practices, and they represent our school so well ... So it’s important as a school community to take time out to honor the athletes just like you honor your performing artists and your visual artists,” Chmiel said.

While the pep rally brought many successes, Chmiel hopes that the energy showcased at the rally will carry into other school events. He believes that maintaining engagement with the crowd is crucial to bringing the school community closer.

“I’d love to see the sports teams literally run up to the fence and run up to the crowds of students, [and] high five people. But this is a process of building this culture of school spirit and camaraderie and rallying behind our sports,” said Chmiel. “It’s a culture that you have to develop over time. But I’m in for the long haul.”

Looking forward, there are plans to have pep rallies every sports season to honor all student-athletes and to bring the school together as a whole. Cheering loudly with the students, Chmiel wants to show that all these events are part of the memorable high school experience.

“I think you could hear from my voice, it’s a little hoarse. I get a little crazy ... I know I’m gonna have to deal with it for the next like three or four days, but I’m going to be okay. I’ll heal up and I’ll be ready to bring it the next pep rally,” Chmiel said.