After Gloucester High School’s return to school this Monday, students flooded the gymnasium for their annual Thanksgiving pep rally on Wednesday.
The pep rally opened with a routine led by the cheerleaders, alongside the seniors and captains of the football team. After, senior football player Quadir Divens led the crowd in a “Beat Danvers” chant, to get everybody excited for their annual Thanksgiving game against Danvers.
“My favorite part was probably throwing [the cheerleaders] in the air,” junior captain and quarterback Camryn Rodolosi said before the performance.
The tumbling segments were the highlight of the routine, with junior captain Jaylen Severino executing multiple back tucks and tricks.
“[Performing with them] was very chaotic, but they loved it,” senior cheer captain Maddie Battle said. “That made it fun.”
Her fellow captain Hannah Lyons agreed. “[The team] was so happy to be here. They were even giving us ideas [for the routine].”
After their joint performance, the cheer team showcased the routine they competed with at Regionals on November 17th.
The next event was musical chairs with GHS staff members. After some intense rounds, guidance counselor Monica Madruga was crowned the champion.
Staff musical chairs was not the only new event featured at the pep rally, as tug-of-war and sibling dodgeball were also introduced this year.
For dodgeball, seniors gathered on one side of the mat to compete against their younger siblings. The seniors were quick to eliminate the majority of the younger team, with sophomore Olivia Madruga and freshman Giuseppe Ferrara the only two left standing. Madruga competed strong, even after Ferrara’s elimination, but was unable to defeat the six remaining seniors.
“I think if it was longer, it would have been more fun,” Madruga said.
The tug-of-war battle between the girls’ and boys’ soccer teams was the closing event of the pep rally. Things were favorable for the boys, until the football team stepped in to aid the girls in their win.
The GHS football team fell to the Danvers Falcons in yesterday’s annual Thanksgiving game. The final score was 29-13, with junior Zach Hashley receiving the Gloucester Fraternity Club’s Unsung Hero Award.
