LIFTOFF: Varsity Cheer opens the rally with a high energy performance, including multiple pyramids and lifts. Just as cheer has been an integral part of the school and rally spirit, rallies have been a key part of the team and general WHS experience for cheerleaders. “We have all our four years — seniors [who cheered] from freshman [year] to senior [year],” said varsity cheerleader Malia Smith ‘25. “I think it’s super special just being all together one last time and giving it our best for our performance and honestly just cherishing the last moments of high school all together as a team. It’s crazy to see us all grown up.”
ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET, GIDDY UP: [left to right] Marco Mehrvarz ‘27, Charles Caixeiro ‘28, Ethan Karkoon ‘26 and Michael Schittone ‘25 line up to gallop through the course in inflatable horse costumes. The game gave each grade a chance to prove themselves as the best, and it was an opportunity for the racers to enjoy some friendly competition. “I enjoy being in the rally because I love getting my class of sophomores hyped up,” said Mehrvarz. “I like winning for our class.”
HYPED UP: Andrew Tsujihara ‘26 leads the junior section in their chant to prove themselves against the other classes. The junior section placed fourth, a loss for that day but a chance for a future win. “Honestly, [I love] cheering for my juniors and waving the flag,” said Tsujihara. “At the last rally, we were so hyped because of homecoming. I just don’t know what happened [at this rally.] They just weren’t making noise. I think we just need to get as loud as the seniors.”
K–POP’S KILLER MOVES: K–Pop Culture Club stuns the crowd with their high–energy choreography to sensational songs like “APT.” by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars. The club was met with a raging welcome from all student sections as they have become a well–loved feature of the rallies. “We all put in the same amount of work [as each other], and it turns out [to be] so much fun,” said club member Ella Tucker ‘27. “Everyone’s just so amazing. It just felt so special because everybody was so hyped up, and everybody got so into it. It was really awesome to see how much everybody loves this.”
THIS IS OUR HOUSE: Ben Bateman ‘25 and Paris Hlywiak ‘25 sing along to Zach Bryan at the rally. As seniors, the two — and many others — experienced a sense of community and shared pride at the rally, a hallmark of senior year. “You wanna go to [the rallies] more because it’s [one of] the last experiences you have of high school,” said Hlywiak. “It’s a big schoolwide thing, and you get to feel the presence of everyone there … It’s partially that feeling of accomplishment of ‘I did this all four years.’ I was sitting over there (freshman section), I was sitting over there (sophomore section), over there (junior section), and now I’m here (senior section).”
BOBBING FOR A WIN: Joey Moore ‘26 bobs for apples in the final game of the rally with his section cheering behind him. Apart from expressing school spirit, Moore showed a willingness to try something new in front of the school. “I did [the games] with a few friends in the first rally, and I had a lot of fun, so I wanted to do it again,” said Moore. “I was kind of nervous to do it, so I was going outside of my comfort zone. It’s just kind of fun to [push myself past what I would normally do].”
DRUMROLL, PLEASE: MCs Noah Stead ‘25 and Jordan Dyer ‘25 lead WHS students in the tribe chant to close out the winter rally. The two have led all the rallies this year and emphasized bringing school spirit to an all time high, making the community a joyful one. “The energy [is my favorite part of MCing],” said Stead. “Especially during the first rally, we got a lot of feedback of how well it ran, how smoothly it ran, the energy [and] everything that we’ve done. Just being in the center of everything is super fun. What I like about it is [that] the spotlight is kind of on you, and you’re able to just be yourself and be loud; it’s really fun.”
PHOTO ESSAY BY AYUSHI KHATTAR
