by Anika Bastin (’23) and Rohit Khorana (’24) | April 8, 2022
On April 1, Saint Francis held its last rally of the year, filled with fun and exciting events. Students and faculty alike partook in the festivities, showing off their school spirit in their own unique way. The rally was preceded by the Spring Spirit Week, which built up anticipation for the rally. Students were encouraged to dress according to several themes, such as “Adam Sandler Day” and “Anything But a Backpack Day.” When asked about his favorite day of Spirit Week, Philip Goo (’22) stated, “‘Anything But a Backpack Day’ since it really showed how creative and committed people could be to the school theme.” “I appreciated how they introduced relatively new themes because it brings a sense of fun and excitement when you get to express your school spirit in a unique way that you haven’t before,” noted Goo.
The Rally Board worked hard to coordinate the event, as member Adrianna Brown (’22) detailed: “We started planning at the end of January. The first few meetings were brainstorming themes and coming up with a vision for the rally. For the Spring Rally, we wanted to focus on student engagement and getting as many people involved as possible.”
The rally began with an April Fool’s joke, as Mr. Meulman began a speech about integrity. He was interrupted by orange and yellow smoke emerging from tubs located near the platform. The Rally Board then led students in a playful class competition to see who could accumulate the most points through various challenges.
The first was a water balloon toss. Students in the bleachers were given water balloons with the objective of passing them down to the students on the track. The first class to throw their water balloon in a hula hoop won. Next was a relay race with four steps: table surfing, a human wheelbarrow, leapfrogging, and a human pyramid. The seniors eventually emerged victorious, with their score displayed on the football scoreboard.
After the relay race was a scavenger hunt. Students were given prompts such as “solve a Rubik’s Cube” and “do a backflip” and competed to find members of their class who could complete the given task. The freshmen won the tight race, with their Rubik’s cube solver narrowly outpacing the others.
The last event was a tournament-style tug of war, with ten chosen people each representing their grade level. It was a test of both strategy and strength, with the sophomores defeating the juniors, and the seniors beating the freshmen in the first bracket. The seniors emerged triumphant against the sophomores in the final match.
The seniors won the overall competition. After the competition concluded, the community honored the retirement of beloved staff member, Mrs. Lana Hagg.
At the last minute, celebrity guests Daft Punk—portrayed by members of Saint Francis staff Mr. Winston Wint and Mr. Alvin Caampued—entered the field. The football field was transformed into a mini-concert, playing some of their most popular songs to the excitement of students.
Spring Spirit Week and the rally were amazing successes. They served as an excellent reminder of what it means to be a Lancer and a much needed break for the community after weeks of hard work.
