On January 30, 2015, West High students and faculty gathered in the main gym to celebrate our winter athletes. Girls basketball, girls water polo, boys and girls wrestling, and boys and girls soccer were the teams of honor at this year’s Winter Sports Rally. There were new games, exciting performances, and tons of class spirit, which made 2015’s first rally a success.

Although every rally has its highlights and low points, the Winter Rally introduced a new game called “Blindfolded Dodgeball”. Each class needed three representatives to participate, two of which were blindfolded. The rep without a blindfold had to guide his team towards the dodgeballs in order to eliminate the other classes while trying not to get hit by the other teams. However, as much enthusiasm and hope each class had for their representatives, the freshman class defeated juniors in a final death match, proving that they can definitely show major class spirit. For some students, though, the class competitions aren’t as interesting as the performances. Manal Rehman (11) said her favorite part about the rally was, by far, the Girls Dance Department. “I loved the dancing. I thought it was very upbeat and entertaining.” Despite the differences in opinion about the highlights of the rally, the majority of students that attend rallies always feel that ASB does a great job of bringing the school together.

The cheerleaders and dancers showcased all of their school spirit through their upbeat performances, making both events more enjoyable to watch. Starr Carter (10) shared her thoughts about this past rally, saying it was a lot more entertaining than past events. “It was funny and different from all the others we’ve had. The cheerleaders and dancers did more and we usually don’t see them as much.” Last month, the dance department had a showcase at the Armstrong Theatre and shared one of their many routines at the Winter Rally last Friday. Cheer continually represented each class and helped welcome the winter teams of the 2014-2015 school year. Rallies are always an admired part of being a student in high school and every event never disappoints; ASB always takes into consideration the feedback and suggestions given from other students.

Dmitri Hansen (12) adds in what he would like to see for the next one. “They’re fun! They should be every other week. Maybe next time, ASB can set up a school-wide rally where everyone could wear one color, like a blackout or whiteout rally. That’d be cool!” Rallies always bring the classes together and allow students to show their class spirit. Every rally is different but it never fails to create excitement among the classes. This past rally was dedicated to our winter athletes and also gave other students the chance to display their spirit and excitement.