On Thursday, September 5, pep rallies returned to Northland Christian School with a few changes for the new school year. Firstly, high school now stands on one set of bleachers and middle school takes the other set. This is likely due to the decreased school population, but it did not matter because pretty soon people got out of the bleachers and formed a conga line around the perimeter of the gym. Another change to this year’s pep rally is the spirit stick. Instead of the normal brown stick from last year—no one is entirely sure what last year’s seniors did with it—the new spirit stick was black.
The theme for the first pep rally was Hawaiian Luau, and students were permitted to wear Hawaiian shirts and accessories with jeans during the day. There were many decorations set up in the gym: standing colored lights, a moderately-sized Northland Christian School sign, and a beach-themed banner which spanned the length of the balcony.
The pep rally was led by the cheer girls.
When speaking to Finley Donaho, an eighth grade cheer girl, she gave some interesting insight into the pep rally. Her interview transcript is written below:

Q: Did you enjoy the theme for the first pep rally?

A: Yes, I enjoyed the theme.

Q: What is your favorite part about being a cheerleader for Northland?

A: Yes, I enjoy it! I love showing my school spirit and getting perks.

Q: Do you think there was more or less energy at this pep rally compared to rallies from last year?

A: Nothing changed, I fear. There was no increase or decrease in the school spirit at the pep rally compared to last year.