Homecoming Week: Behind the scenes of the Rally

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Meilan Steimle

Madhavan Nair (12) plays the Joker in the Harry Potter segment of the senior class skit.

Writing scripts, choreographing routines, and assembling equipment. Students and faculty members participated in the annual Homecoming Rally yesterday, but few people know the amount of work that occurred behind the scenes.

Spirit Club members prepared for the rally for weeks in advance, from organizing skit rules to setting up the homecoming court obstacle course.

“We conducted many meetings, some with the student council to receive their input,” Spirit Club Secretary Leon Chin (12) said. “One of our main jobs was the obstacle course, and I think we planned that very efficiently and effectively, so I hope everyone had a good time.”

According to Brian Larsen, Technical Director of the Upper School, the setup for the production of the rally went smoothly, but his only complaint was that none of the classes met the deadline to get their sound files to him.

“If I have it early enough or have it by the deadline, I can play with it and adjust the levels,” he said.

As a result, the audio portion of the senior skit, in particular, ranged from being quiet during some moments and extremely loud during others.

Larsen was also in charge of the music for the cheerleaders and Varsity Dance Troupe. The Varsity Dance Troupe had been preparing for its routine since August.

“We learned this routine at USA camp over the summer, and we changed it to make it our own and fit this performance,” Varsity dancer Tamlyn Doll (10) said.

Upper School Dance Director Karl Kuehn expressed his excitement and looks forward to the girls’ performance tonight before the Homecoming Game.

“They are ready to rock, and I know that I am super pumped for [today],” he said.

A major portion of the Rally revolves around the four skits that each grade enacts, based on their respective themes. The freshmen met a couple times as a group during extra help to practice for their Mickey Mouse-themed skit.

“Overall, the freshmen didn’t put that much time into the skit just because we didn’t think of it as a really high priority and that kind of showed in our actual performance,” said Rajiv Movva, who played the character of Goofy in the freshmen skit.

As the seniors prepared for their final Homecoming, they worked towards making this year’s skit the best yet.

“There was a lot of group bonding this year. The officers make it a fun experience so we [were] actually motivated to work,” Ashir Bansal (12) said. “[Although] we didn’t practice as much this year, we certainly practiced with a lot of enthusiasm.”

As for the tug-of-war that occurred between the skits, junior Natasha Mayor said that her class did not prepare and chose to trust themselves to pull through.

“During freshman year, we had practiced tug-of-war before but that didn’t really help up so this year, we just decided to go for it and see if we could win,” she said.

The sophomore Homecoming Court princess Lindsey Trinh looks forward to the game and has done all that she can to prepare for tonight, including purchasing and hemming a dress for tonight’s crowning of the court.

Varsity Football player Nate Kelly (9) explains that the team has been practicing every day for at least two hours in preparation for the Homecoming game. The game is tonight at 7 p.m. on Davis Field against Ribet Academy and includes a tailgate at 5 p.m. prior to the game.

“I feel like we’re gonna get a win,” Nate said. “I feel it.”