We've got spirit yes we do...

The Pep Rally. An all important event in the collective spirit of a school. When I was in middle school, pep rallies were fun. We yelled, someone won the spirit stick, and that was all. Drake does pep rallies a little differently. The first pep rally I went to last year blew me away. The sheer volume of sound these kids produce is breathtaking. Teams come up with cheers to use at the pep rallies to compete for the coveted "Best Cheer" award. Nobody actually says it, but winning best cheer means you won the pep rally. "Most Spirit", thanks for playing, try again.
Students and teachers paint their faces and wear the most team colors they can fit on their body. Don't be mistaken, these pep rallies only slightly pay homage to the athletic teams of the school. For the most part, it's one seventh grade team versus another seventh grade team; one sixth grade team versus another sixth grade team in an all out scream fest. You can imagine that I, as a choral music teacher, cringe with every blood curdling scream, every vein popping yell, every hoarse student that attempts to sing in my class the following day. I try. I tell my singers not to yell so much, to let other members of their team carry the weight. Fat chance.
I was tasked with announcing the 7th grade softball team at the pep rally today. I decided to have fun with it since most of the softball girls are also choir members. I gathered the softball players and had them choose a nickname. Then, in my best Michael Buffer voice, I announced each player as "Suzie 'the thunderbolt' Smith" etc. After the pep rally, our bookkeeper asked me "Who was that announcer they hired?" Excellent.

We've got spirit, how bout you?....