by Anika Bastin (’23) | October 7, 2022
On September 23, 2022, Saint Francis held the first indoor Back-to-School rally in three years. It began with a silent entry, representing the silence at school due to the COVID-19 quarantine. Rally Board then played a montage of several clips related to COVID-19 that highlighted the loss of the in-person experience. However, the energy was quickly revived as Lancers got loud, ending the era of silence and setting the mood for the rest of the rally.
The rally commenced with an amazing performance by the Saint Francis Band and Color Guard. The band, playing Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off,” had the crowd clapping to the catchy beat. Kiana Allard (’24) said, “As a junior, it was my first year in an indoor rally. Performing for the first part of the rally was a really cool experience.”
The community also took the opportunity to congratulate several Lancers for their achievements in the past year. Maria Ana (’23) was honored for her participation in a theater workshop with Broadway star Christy Altomare, best known for her work in Anastasia and Mamma Mia. Ana emphasized that “it felt nice having the arts honored in front of the whole school, which isn’t something that’s happened a lot in the past.”
Then, Spirit Squad performed a catchy dance to “Back in Black” by AC/DC. Senior Yurika Kan stated that “practices were super intense, as it was our first time back in the gym, and we were really focused on making a comeback.” Even so, she expressed confidence in the group’s performance: “We think we killed it!”
Following the performance was a video created jointly by the sports teams, in which they lip-synced to Katy Perry’s “California Gurls.” Mathias Viollier (’25), a member of the Men’s Varsity Water Polo team, shared, “We all came up with what we wanted to do, and at the end we [thought], why don’t we just jump in the pool?”
The rally then progressed to the traditional welcoming of new teachers. For this skit, the teachers posed as TikTok celebrities, attempting a TikTok challenge with a phone and ring light. With Spirit Squad as their guides, the new teachers danced absolutely amazingly. Saint Francis is excited to welcome them to our community!
Of course, it wouldn’t be the first rally of the year without a game of sibling rivalry. Senior-freshman sibling pairs competed in a game of Relay Tic Tac Toe, with every student running to the life-sized grid on the gym floor to place a letter and returning to pass the baton. Although it was close, the seniors pulled ahead and won the final round.
Next, there was some friendly inter-class competition, featuring a special challenge: Guess that Voice. Faculty members’ voices, such as Mr. Ikezi’s and Ms. Q’s, were played on the loudspeaker. Members of each class ran to hit the buzzer and make their guess as to whose voices they heard. Tension and excitement were high, and despite a good effort from the other classes, the seniors came out victorious once again. Indeed, senior Emily Dang (’23), who scored two points, remarked, “In the moment, it almost felt like I was being possessed as I thought, ‘these are my people.’ I felt a lot of pride in being both a Lancer and a senior.”
Following nearly two years of outdoor rallies, the Back-to-School Rally was a fantastic experience for Lancers. It served as a great opportunity to exhibit both our school spirit and our community.
