St. Agnes' Winter Neon Pep Rally and Spirit Day

On January 26, 2022, students and faculty joined together to spread excitement for winter sports and activities in the Neon Pep Rally! Decked out in neon outfits and accessories, the pep rally included a song of prayer from choir members, games involving teachers and students, short performances from sports teams, and the traditional Spirit King contest.

Multiple winter sports put on short performances, including basketball, diving, and soccer. Ashlyn Malachowski (’24), part of the Swimming and Diving team, says, “I had the best time at the Neon Pep Rally! It was such a great team bonding experience that brought us closer before we go to State. The neon setting really created a lively atmosphere of fun and celebration."

In addition, Strake and St. Agnes’ Spectrum Engineering team used one of their robots to throw small toy balls across the stage. Emma Sjodin (’24) speaks about her experience as part of the Spectrum team in the pep rally. “The neon pep rally was a lot of fun! We added some rainbow lights to the robot so it would fit the neon theme. I was surprised when everyone started cheering when it drove out onto the stage, that was really cool!!”

Mrs. Licato, a chemistry teacher at St. Agnes, performed in the special Tiger Girls/Teachers dance routine (pictured). She claims, “I really enjoyed participating in the pep rally with my colleagues. It is important that we have time to laugh and create memories as peers. We each stay in our classrooms and do our work and meet with students….we don’t often take the time to connect with each other!” Another success of the pep rally was uniting the school through high energy and excitement. Mrs. Licato continues, “The most important thing about performing is allowing the students (Tiger Girls) to teach the teachers. I spend a lot of energy trying to get my students to get comfortable being uncomfortable! I ask them to try things that are difficult, to take risks and be vulnerable in front of each other. It is important then for me to model ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘vulnerable.’ Dancing on stage in front of the school is vulnerable, and uncomfortable, but it is fun.” 

The pep rally allowed students and faculty to connect in excitement and support for performers; the Spirit King contest between challenged students to cheer louder than other grade levels. Furthermore, through wearing neon clothing and accessories, students showed their festivity. To me, the experience of seeing teachers and students on the stage and hearing the school cheering for them showed the strong sense of community in St. Agnes.

Overall, the school spirit shown on the day of the Neon Pep Rally boosted morale, whether it be through loud cheers or neon outfits. Mrs. Licato shares, “The joy and laughter are worth the butterflies [from performing]. Get uncomfortable, SAA! It is how we stretch and grow!”