The room silent, except for the faint hum of computers and the occasional rustle of paper or clothes, the school library really had been the best choice to work in. Rune leaned back in his chair, his eyes roving briefly around the room almost populated entirely by book shelves and tables, before he looked at Willow. He nodded at the pencil she’d dropped onto the table in front of her, and said “Well, time to switch.”
She nodded, handing him her article’s first draft and accepting his in return, feeling a twinge of anxiety. She valued Rune’s opinion, and a part of her worried he’d find her article lacking. Especially since she’d only written an article once before, in elementary school.
Her mind went back to the words that were almost engraved on her mind. Pep-less Rally, was her title. And the article wasn’t any gentler.
With the lights off, the crowd murmuring, and fairly lackluster decorations, today’s pep rally didn’t promise much at the beginning. But since it’s a mandatory event, every student not on a sports team filled the bleachers, many of them looking barely awake and like they’d prefer to be anywhere else.
While some people might try and pass it off as the heat, and yes, it is hot and sweaty in the stands, that’s not the truth. The reality is, forcing students to attend motivational events kills any school spirit they might have had.
This became very clear once the rally started.
As each team came out, the only cheers came from members’ friends, and the applause was polite at best, and non-existent at worst. Even our MC seemed to understand that no one cared, and put little apparent effort into her introductions. A joke or two might have livened up the usual list of names, so fewer students would fall asleep.
I counted seven people sleeping by the end.
The only interest anyone seemed to have in the rally was looking for the Golf Team. A group of boys sitting at the back repeatedly called “Bring out the Golf Team,”, and when they failed to appear, got louder, until they were finally shushed by one of the teachers.
In short, the only school spirit our students show is when forced to by teachers and administration. And the only time anyone showed a genuine interest in a team, they were penalized for it. I think our school needs to examine its practices and consider revamping our rallies.
Or at least make them more interesting.
Willow sighed inwardly, hoping Rune didn’t call her out for being too harsh. But she’d always found mandatory pep rallies to be hypocritical and couldn’t help that her opinion bled through. Her worry remained, right up until she began reading Rune’s article, entitled Pep Rallies: A Waste of Time.
This year’s pep rally saw full bleachers, seven sports teams, cheerleaders, and a distinct lack of caring by nearly everyone.
After being paraded in front of a crowd who clearly wished to be elsewhere, the athletes I spoke to said they felt their time could be better spent. Spent doing things like actually practicing for their games, instead of for the pep rally.
This raised one of many questions about the event. Why must our sports teams take time away from their usual practices to prepare for the rally? Why has the administration decided that it’s a mandatory event? And most concerning, why were only the sports teams included?
The last is the most troubling. Our school’s band has won several awards through the last few years, but weren’t present to be cheered on. Our Debate team, Reach for the Top team, and Improv Team weren’t to be seen either.
Certainly, clubs like the Volunteer Gardening Committee, Student Government, and yes, even our own Newspaper Club should be left out, since we don’t compete. But the others mentioned above do, same as the sports teams, so why have they been ignored? Has the administration deemed these clubs unworthy of support?
It may simply be a reflection of our own culture, where sports players are among the most highly paid and publicly lauded individuals. But, in the future, I hope that our school teaches its students that physical ability isn’t the only thing valued.
Willow handed the paper back to Rune. “I like it and you definitely have a point about the other clubs. I’ve never seen them included in a pep rally before.”
He grinned, passing her her paper as well. “Yours is good too. I think you’d make a great columnist, with a bit more experience. You’ve got that friendly, chatty kind of style.”
She smiled back. Then her eyes caught the headline laying in front of her. She sighed and shook her head. “You know, we’re going to get in trouble for these. I can’t imagine the administration not taking offense.”
Rune shrugged. “Journalistic integrity is important. I’m not about to put out any article I don’t believe in, just to suit someone else’s idea of what’s appropriate to write about. Freedom of speech is important. Good, bad, or mediocre, it’s the job of journalists to reveal what the real situation is.”
Willow nodded, but sighed. “I can see that. I just get the feeling our news blog might not last beyond its first posts.”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry about that. Just let me do the talking, and we’ll be fine.”
His confident expression gave Willow hope. Maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t have to listen to another of Ed’s lectures.
YOU ARE READING
Silver Bound Girl
FantasyWillow's a Byron and they aren't just your average family. Not just because there are so many of them, but because they have secrets and traditions far outside the norm. Like spending as much time outside as in, and doing everything to keep rumours...
