Alana Fernandes
Senior: Ariel doing a death drop.
On Friday September 12, Saint Thomas Aquinas held their annual Homecoming Pep Rally to celebrate homecoming and to introduce the fall sports teams. The cheerleaders kicked off the rally with an array of stunts and dances from UCA Camp. The STA Dance Team, under the direction of Mrs. Virginio, performed to a multitude of students’ favorite songs. Karina Gallaghar, a sophomore who performed at the pep rally stated “It felt electrifying performing in front of the school, and the spirit they had was incredible.”
At the beginning of the pep rally, the coaches, called all of the fall sports teams to the middle of the gym and one representative from each team spoke about how their season has been so far. Teams such as golf, bowling, swim and dive, cross country, football and volleyball each had a moment in the spotlight.
Each year, the school chooses an overall theme; this year’s was cartoons. Class representatives must then choose a specific theme for their class. The themes chosen by each grade were freshmen as Scooby Doo, sophomores as Monsters Inc, juniors as Lilo and Stich, and seniors as Spongebob Squarepants. The grades wrote and choreographed original skits to perform that correlated to their theme.
The seniors and freshmen reflected on the four year journey of high school that they have had, and will have. The sophomore skit entertained audiences with familiar characters from the beloved Pixar film Monsters Inc. They kicked it off with a horned blue and purple Sully walking through Boo’s door to attempt a scare on a group of pajama-wearing, sleeping students. Additional students dressed up as monsters played a game of football. The junior’s skit, themed with another Disney favorite, Lilo and Stitch, featured volunteers dressed up as Hawaiian dancers who danced around the gym. The seniors dressed up as inflatable Spongebob Squarepants, Mr. Krabs, and Patrick Starfish, as well as other sea creatures who danced throughout the gym. A senior dressed as Patrick Starfish made an impression with his exuberant dance moves!
Once all the skits were performed, the homecoming court was presented. Each girl was accompanied by an escort with whom they shook hands, danced, or even performed outrageous stunts. The pep rally concluded with a dance battle featuring the costumed performers and members of the football team with their coaches. Father Celsus made a special appearance by dancing across the gym while playing impressive riffs on an electric guitar.