Arroyo’s ASB commissioners and officers organized the Fall Sports Rally to recognize and celebrate our fall sports athletes, as well as announce the Homecoming court and dance theme. Through much organization and effort by our ASB, athletes were able to participate in many games, have fun, and feel recognized by their classmates on September 22 in the gym during lunch. 

School rallies are important in creating school spirit and pride. The Fall Sports Rally did that through fun games and activities while shining a spotlight on the athletes that have been working hard all season to represent Arroyo well. 

“As an athlete, I feel like this is one of my favorite things to do in school,” said Sarah Dominguez, senior and captain of the girls cross country team. 

Athletes are able to take the microphone and share with the crowd all the hard work they have been doing throughout the season and how they can show their support. “I look forward to it [the Fall Sports Rally] as a good representation of all of the teams. For all the people who don’t go to the sports events, they get to see our star athletes,” Degas Peters, senior, captain of the boys cross country team. 

After introductions, some of the athletes from the different teams, which consists of football, girls tennis, volleyball, and boys and girls cross country, participated in friendly competitions. The games played were dodgeball and a raft racing game. It is a game in which the players roll on the ground to move the player in the raft above them to the other side of the gym; the athletes get to exhibit their competitive side and have fun. 

“It was fun because it incorporated all the teams together with comradery while also having some inter school competition,” Degas said. 

The games played at the rally were decided by ASB commissioners and officers; specifically the Commissioner of Activities, Ophelia Musser, a junior. They organized and ran the whole event, which took a lot of time and hard work. 

“The rally in general we started [planning] a month ago [from the day of the event]” and “we included the rafting game because that was something that people were excited for at BBW. And then we wanted to do dodgeball because last year dodgeball was something that people loved” said Mr. Dara Sem, Director of Students Affairs. 

The crowd was engaged and cheering on their favorite athletes. The competitions were very close and teams fought hard to come out on top. 

“It [the environment] was very supportive, exciting and happy,” Sarah said. There was also a performance by the varsity cheerleading team to get the crowd excited and fired up. The cheerleaders put in much practice for their performance. “I was very nervous for our performance, but I was looking forward to it… the environment was very uplifting, fun, and motivational, and everyone seemed very excited,” said Nicole Gonzalez, a Freshman and cheerleader. 

After the games and performances by our athletes, it was time for the Homecoming Court to be announced. The Homecoming Court consists of Princes Giovanni Reyes, Nicholas Lucy, Chris Tu, Adam Huizar, and Axcel Garcia. The Princesses are Jailin Yip, Brianna Contreras, Haley Pham, Zulani Valencia, and Tahlia Pan. The Homecoming Court is made entirely of seniors and all members of the court are in the running to be Homecoming queen and king. 

“I put my name in just for fun and here I am. I didn’t think I would make it this far, so it’s pretty cool. SInce I made it this far, I think my chances [for winning Homecoming King] are pretty good. There is also Adam, he’s a football player and famous or something, but still pretty good,” Nicholas Lucy said in a joking manner. 

After the Homecoming Court was announced the lights were dimmed and it was time for the theme of the dance to be revealed. Students eagerly waited for the theme reveal video to play. The video revealed that the theme was “A Night in New Orleans”. The video was made by the ASB Treasurer Jasmine Lee, a senior. 

“The Homecoming theme was chosen by a vote. We sent out a vote to the student body all over campus and whoever opened the email and wanted to vote had the opportunity to voice their opinions. The theme with the most votes was the one that was picked” said Mr. Sem. 

The reactions to the theme were mostly positive. There were people on all sides, some were happy their theme was picked while others had voted for other options. “It is not the one I chose but I’m excited to go to the dance and hopefully maybe follow the theme,” Degas said. 

There were technical difficulties with playing the video, students anticipating the reveal were anxious and frustratedly waiting for the video to play. But after a few minutes, they were able to play the video and reveal the theme. 

“I feel it could have been a little smoother. I think I need to be more involved in the process rather than just letting the kids run it entirely. I think we need to include more visuals and have more communication so things can run more smoothly,” said Mr. Sem. 

Although there were a few obstacles, students ultimately had fun and got to feel connected to the school. The homecoming theme and court reveal is what makes this rally so intriguing and appealing to students who don’t necessarily take interest in the sports side of student life. And for those who care about the athletic programs on our campus they get to learn who our star players are more personally. 

“I love the fall sports rally, I always loved it and this year I got to participate in it so that made me really happy,” said Sarah.