Academic Pep Rally

Belhaven Renaissance Academic Pep Rally

What makes it different than any other pep rally? People have been asking me that for the last fifteen years. It could be the anticipation of the excitement that is generated when all of our students and staffulty (faculty and staff) members are in the same room celebrating commitment, hard work, character, leadership and academic success. Maybe it’s just the comedy of students and staffulty on stage performing or doing skits or celebrating our achievements.

 “We don’t need a herd of chickens. We need a team of eagles.” -Rudnesky

Celebration is an essential component of any organization. As a society, we Americans celebrate just about anything. So, why not celebrate success and collegiality within our organizations? Whether it’s school, workplace, a team, or a community group, celebrate when you achieve your goals. In our organization, we celebrate being together among other things. We celebrate a strong start to the New Year. We also celebrate a strong finish at the end of the year. We have a half-left celebration midway through the year.

We celebrate each other. Most celebrations become traditions. If your celebrations become traditions please do not forget to fine-tune the quality to appeal to different stakeholders and different types of colleagues. We have a team picture each year along with a team huddle each month. The year is started with a staffulty field trip. We have a leadership summit that includes two days of service and leadership activities. Leadership Olympics occur towards the end of the year. Self-communicate a celebration then spread the fun.

Celebration can be one of the most important components of your organization. We are constantly mining data, complying, bench marking, consulting, organizing, conducting security drills, unpacking the new common core curriculum, differentiating, assessing, and a plethora of other New Jersey state mandated tasks and requirements. Wow! We used to concentrate only on teaching and learning. Our school discovered that when we Respect, Recognize, Reinforce, and Reward; we get Results.

Our rally is one of the best days of the school year. An Academic Pep Rally is similar to a sports pep rally although we have amped it up over the years. We now have it later in the year, after our state testing. We invite dignitaries from around the country but many of them decline the invitation because they just cannot share our vision. The energy is incomparable. Ask anyone that has ever been here.

Every person in our school has on a pep rally shirt. Each grade is designated with a different color. Music is a key component. The skits move effortlessly. Each year we have a theme that starts at the beginning of the year. This year it was You Are A+ Star! Our rally theme reflected a celebrity awards show.

We start with school infused music as the students enter the auditorium. Spotlights and enthusiasm fill the empty space until all of our stakeholders arrive. We recognize and reward students and staffulty throughout the rally: Spirit of Renaissance, Most Improved, Sports Winners, Perfect Attendance, Science Fair, Alumni, Students of the Month, Unsung Heroes, School Spirit, and community members. An MC keeps the rally moving as the skits include well known themes that are familiar to everyone. Script masters prepare and create excitement that connects everyone in attendance as they laugh continually.  

Sometimes just one compliment can connect a student forever to leadership and success. Maybe that one teacher found a way to link a student to believe in himself or have faith in the reality of his dreams. Maybe a teacher rediscovered herself after what seemed like a month of mandated testing and evaluating. So celebrate yourself and the people around you. Moments like this should be promoted and treasured.

Pep rallies should be used in all organizations. Try it. Celebrate!

“The great things happening in our schools are the nation’s best kept secrets.”