On September 1st of 2022, Quakertown High School had its notable first pep rally of the year at Alumni Field. It was an event that held much significance, as it was the first pep rally at the start of the school year in two years.

The first main focus and topic discussed at the pep rally was Q-Rock, the acronym used to remind students of the school’s values of resilience, ownership, community, and kindness. The Q-Rock club played a large role in the planning of the pep rally. After a speech from Mr. Van’t Hoenderdaal, the Student Section Leaders gave brief speeches about the meaning and importance of each aspect of Q-Rock. The school’s fall sports teams were another large subject of the pep rally. This segment was originally meant to be “Blue and White Night,” but was moved to occur during the pep rally. Each team was announced and applauded, followed by performances from the cheer team and the band. After the performances, the band moved into a formation that created the letter Q on the field. The pep rally came to an end with all of the students coming down from the bleachers and onto the field to form the rest of the letters in Q-Rock with their grade level. The letter formation was a competition between the grades, and the 9th grade’s R was voted the best.

With this being the first pep rally at the beginning of the school year in some time, Ms. Finnerty shared, “I think it just creates a sense of fun, and I think that we’ve been missing some of that these last couple years with COVID…” This pep rally was a step toward rebuilding the school’s environment after the COVID-19 pandemic. It provided students with an opportunity to gather together as a school community, an experience that had been unavailable at the start of the school year in recent years.

Ms. Finnerty described the value and importance of student feedback and thoughts on the pep rally for future planning. Taking into consideration that this was the first at the beginning of the year in some time, some students shared what they liked the most and what they thought could be improved upon in the future. “I liked how each sport and its coaches and captains were recognized,” Jillian Storey, a member of the girls’ soccer team, said. Another student thought that all of the students coming onto the field from the bleachers at the same time to form the letters felt disorganized and chaotic.

“…There’s a real need to connect with one another, and I think the primary purpose is to enjoy togetherness and acknowledging everyone for taking part in the community,” Ms. Finnerty said about the central idea behind this pep rally. “I would want people to walk away with a sense of happiness and pride to be part of our school.” The pep rally is meant to encourage students to be an active member of the community and to support the school. 

Overall, the intention behind the event was to bring together and honor the school’s community. It was meant to set the tone for this school year, encouraging school spirit and the Q-rock values. In retrospect, the pep rally served its core purpose and the Quakertown High School community started off the 2022 to 2023 school year together.