The Raptors Rally
As this year comes to a start, EHS students build up their school spirit! They support sports teams, along with a variety of other clubs, and enjoy an evening of exciting events.
By Sophia Mower
Raptor Rally occurred on Thursday August 22nd, 2024 and got EHS staff and students hyped up for another full year of success, growth, and exhilaration. It amplified students' school spirit and was a great way for students to come together, meet one another, and get some insight into what being a Raptor is all about.
It started off with a thrilling pep assembly where the varsity dance team gave an exciting performance full of twists, turns, and jaw-dropping moves. Our student council led our student packed gym through a series of cheers and chants, along with our marching band, some of our varsity cheerleaders, and our dance team. Most of our sports teams, and other clubs, sold items of their choosing during the rally after the assembly. They all fundraised a decent amount of money by selling things that they think people would want to pay for. The girls basketball team sold krispy kreme donuts, the girls flag football team sold handmade bracelets, Latinos Unidos club sold tacos and horchata, and for a specific price, our drama club even let attendees of the rally pie a thespian in the face! The profits that each group made will go towards bettering them as a whole, with items like new uniforms, etc… Our football team played a scrimmage against Columbine High School, and our volleyball team played a game against Regis Jesuit High School. In a tough game, our girls varsity volleyball team lost 0-3. The score of the first set was 16-25, the score of the second set was 12-25, and the score of the third set was 22-25. Students shared some eye-opening thoughts about the rally themselves.
“My favorite part of raptor rally is how the entire school gets together, and it’s a chance for all of us to be together and just have some fun without stressing about school,” said senior Mariya Adhikari.
A lot of students look forward to kicking off the school year with this event because nearly all of our students go. Students have the ability to see most of their friends and finally catch up about what they did over their summer when they were not seeing one another almost every day. Raptor Rally is an opportunity for everyone to have a good time together before their class loads, homework, and their extracurricular activities begin to add up. The creative ideas that the different clubs and groups have earn them all a fair amount of money.
“Because it is right after school, so you know, a lot of people, it’s easy for them to just stay,” said sophomore Elizabeth Andrusyszyn. “And then you know, everyone’s milling around, so it’s good to just like, you know, catch someone's eye, and then they can get publicity”.
Parents are always at the rally to help make whatever group their child might be in with their tents and set ups. Their presence, along with some coaches and teachers helps boost sales because they occasionally know more about the group's fundamentals and can use those facts to increase sales. This year, it was popular to make trades with one another in order to gain more money for their own group. For example, the boys lacrosse team bought one of the tennis teams blankets for $40 in exchange for $40 worth of the hot dogs that they were making. Multiple people on each team pitched in to support each of these sales. Having this rally a couple of days after the first day of school builds up positive energy for the year to come.
“It’s good to do this at the beginning of the year because it gets everyone in a good mood for the rest of the year.” said sophomore Faryn Williams.
Fresham and new students are often encouraged to join one of our sports or clubs because they see how much fun these groups have together and how easily it lets them make deep, personal relationships with others that can last for a lifetime. This rally occurring only a few days into the year allows upperclassmen to engage with their school before they leave for college or enter the workforce. It also gives them a chance to teach the underclassmen everything that they know about the school and all of the ways in which they can most efficiently achieve their goals.
Raptor Rally is all about gathering as a community to have a good time, gaining knowledge about what activities our school has to offer, groups fundraising and earning publicity, and starting our year off on a happy note. Despite some heavy rain towards the end of the evening, this year's rally was a hit!