As all the students waited patiently in the bleachers, Principal Marcus Belin glides through the gymnasium on his hoverboard. Cries of excitement and laughter fill the air and colors of grey, white, red, and black gleam across all the bleachers, with each class showing their school spirit. Each class’ volleyball team was preparing for the first game that would kick off this exhilarating event.

The annual pep rally was on Friday, Sep. 28, where all students came together and celebrated the unity of HHS through fun competitions amongst all classes. The event was between 1 p.m. and 2:26 p.m. and boosted school spirit for the homecoming football game that started later at 7 p.m.

Each class had sets of students who would participate in different events to get points for the “spirit barrel.” The events consisted of a volleyball tournament, ice cream eating, cup stacking, and much more.

“My favorite part of the pep rally was mainly playing all the fun activities and the crowd cheering,” junior Ivy Kakande said. Ivy participated in the hula hoop ball drop relay and waffle cone marshmallow toss competitions.

JV and varsity poms, drum-line, Orchesis, and cheerleading joined the pep rally by putting on stunning performances and made the event even more lively than it already was. As the events were going on, students who put their Raider Way tickets in the raffle bin received prizes when they were selected.

“I was a big fan of the stiff competition for the spirit barrel, as well as handing off the mic to our new principal, Mr. Belin, riding on a hoverboard; that was dope,” Geometry teacher James Allen said.

The pep rally was a great event that not only celebrated the unity of all HHS students and faculty, but also paved the way for a bright future this school year.