Senior Caucus Hosts Second Annual Pep Rally

It was almost like a scene out of a movie: during the second annual Pep Rally on Friday, November 3, the Stuyvesant Peglegs ran into the third floor gymnasium and broke through a banner that read #StuyStrong. The event was organized by Senior Caucus President Pallab Saha and Vice President Abie Rohrig It was held in the third floor gymnasium and featured dance and cheer performances, as well as a dodgeball tournament.

Rohrig and Saha came up with the idea of having Stuyvesant’s first Pep Rally last year to lighten their class’s mood and raise school spirit as they felt morale was being dampened by heavy coursework.

Inspired by the success of last year’s Pep Rally, Rohrig and Saha decided to continue the tradition. “We were very happy with the Pep Rally last year. Over 230 people attended and we got lots of positive feedback, so we thought it would be wonderful to continue the tradition,” Saha said.

The planning for the Pep Rally began about a month in advance, with support from school administrators, including Athletic Director Peter Bologna.

It was held soon after the terror attack that occurred near Stuyvesant on Tuesday, October 31. Saha and Rohrig hoped it would help unite the Stuyvesant community. Principal Eric Contreras, who gave the initial remarks, added a minute of silence and spoke briefly about the solidarity and spirit of the Stuyvesant community after the terror incident. “This event was meant to benefit the school by giving the student body something to rally around, especially after the terrorist attack on Halloween. We felt that the event would be a platform for students to show their Stuyvesant grit and unity in an extremely profound way,” Saha said.

Members of the Peglegs also recognized the significance of this year’s Pep Rally falling so closely after the terror attack. “Especially after the attack earlier in the week, it felt amazing to be at the center of something that brought our school community together. Stuy can sometimes seem too big to have cohesive school spirit but the turnout proved me wrong. I hope we only get stronger from here and the event is a special way to achieve this,” junior and Pegleg member Ariel Melendez said.

“In my opinion I think more people attended the Pep Rally and attended the football game. More alumni attended the football game that day to feel like a family, to feel close together in that regard,” Bologna said. “There is no specific mascot for the school, a lot of the sports teams are not very highly promoted, or not many students come to see the sports programs in this school, so I think this is a way to showcase some of the teams, some of the accomplishments of the teams in the school.”

One of the highlights of the Pep Rally was a performance by Stuy Legacy, Stuyvesant’s competitive urban dance team, who debuted their new routine. The performance was followed by rounds of dodgeball between students of all grades levels. Each grade competed in brackets, until the Class of 2018 was the ultimate victor. This was then followed by another round of dodgeball between seniors and teachers, which ended with another senior victory.

“Holding another pep rally during our tenure as Senior Caucus is definitely doable. However, we are open to many different options. [Rohrig] and I are working meticulously in trying to find various other ways to celebrate Stuy athletics, and those ideas may come to life soon enough. But we urge our successors to continue our legacy and host at least one pep rally every year,” Saha said.