On September 29, 2023, New Hyde Park Memorial held its first pep rally of the school year. With many performances from various groups including the band, Twirlers, Romanettes, Step Team and cheerleaders, the event spurred excitement among the NHP population.
Before the event, Dr. Faccio emailed students announcing that the pep rally would be held inside due to heavy downpours. Many seniors expressed their disappointment at how their last fall pep rally would be held indoors rather than in the traditional outdoor setting.
“It would’ve been more ideal for everyone if it was outdoors,” senior Rishi Singh said. “It was raining so we had to have it indoors. If it was outdoors then other people would be able to see the pep rally such as our parents.”
Despite the indoor setting, pep rally still led to a feeling of togetherness among the NHP population through the performing groups and teams that were highlighted during the event.
“Pep rally is so much fun. I love to hear all the screams from everyone and all the support makes me so happy,” sophomore Samantha Pergola said.
To start the event, the band performed the Pledge of Allegiance and afterwards, “Edge of Glory” by Lady Gaga. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by senior drum major Joe Reo, while “Edge of Glory” was conducted by sophomore drum major Joseph Marino. Then, the Twirlers took the floor first, followed by the Romanettes, the Step Team and finally the cheerleaders.
“It was incredible to see the crowd, performing groups, and athletes all come together with their school spirit and enthusiasm to cheer each other on,” junior Janice Zhang said. “Even though this is my third year performing, I still felt nervous to perform. But, as soon as you hear the crowd cheering, all that goes away. It all felt so exhilarating. This year’s pep rally was definitely my best by far and I’m so proud of my girls!”
After the Twirlers, Romanettes and Step Team performed, the sports teams came out to showcase their pride. The teams included JV and varsity field hockey, girls and boys soccer and volleyball, along with cross country, district swim and golf.
JV and varsity cheer and football were the last groups to appear. JV cheer performed their routine, followed by the introduction of JV football. Then, varsity cheer performed their routine, with the varsity football team making their appearance afterward.
“Performing with my team at pep rally is always amazing,” senior captain Alexa Rizzo said. “It always feels extremely rewarding after the performance because we work hard to perfect our routines. Also, the traditions that come along with Pep Rally/Homecoming weekend like TP Night are super fun!”
After their performance, the varsity cheer team held paper sheets for the varsity football team to run through, a pep rally tradition that the cheerleaders and football players participate in every year.
“The process is actually super hectic,” Alexa Rizzo said. “The day before pep rally we met up at Tully to spray paint all of the football players’ names and numbers on the paper. This year it was actually raining so we had to try super hard to stop the spray paint from getting everywhere.”
Despite the indoor setting of the pep rally, the hard work from all the performing groups and the spirit of the sports teams provided a solid warm up for the upcoming fall season.
