On Feb. 10, 2023, Seminole High School (SHS) had planned an indoor pep rally that would take place during students’ 7th period. This pep rally was intended to promote school spirit for Winter sports and the Boys District Basketball Game. However, by the 4th period, three fights had broken out on campus, causing administration to make the decision to cancel the pep rally for campus safety precautions.

“There was an incident in the morning that involved a couple students that became physical. It was addressed immediately….the problem was friends of one of the girls involved in the situation started drawing on with friends of the others…verbal conflict spread between friends of friends…next period a few girls had to be separated due to an intense verbal conflict. Later, some students involved in the situation went to the 9th grade center and got into a physical confrontation with other students [over there],” says SHS Principal Michael Pfeiffer.

This cancellation disappointed many students. Athletes had planned to be featured in the pep rally, and SHS Leadership had spent a tremendous amount of time and effort in preparing for the event. Seminole’s Leadership is a selective group of students that work hard to plan school events such as spirit days, pep rallies, and homecoming. There is tremendous preparation that goes into events such as pep rallies like, making decorations, games, and setting them up. 

Doron Glickman, an IB Junior and member of Seminole’s Leadership Team, shared that they had been planning for the pep rally for over a month: “The days leading up to it, and the day of, we were all super excited and we started setting up early that day. [When it got cancelled], we were really just upset because we were excited for it and had gotten everyone else excited for it too.”

Traditionally in pep rallies at SHS, the football team is showcased, as well as the dance, step, and cheer team to perform for the rally. This leaves other sports like weightlifting out of recognition through school spirit. This upcoming pep rally was a chance for some of the least recognized sports, such as weightlifting, to get some spotlight.

“I was [extremely]  excited because I was going to be in the pep rally. Once it got cancelled, I was really upset because I felt like I was being punished for others’ actions,” says sophomore weightlifter, Dynasty Sutton. 

Sutton was not the only one feeling this way. Other students also agreed that it was unfair to be punished for others’ actions. 

Pfeiffer addressed this view of students saying, “The pep rally is postponed and rescheduled for March 24. I also want to be very clear, the reason it was canceled that day was not because it was a consequence for the campus….we were not going to create a situation where we could have another physical conflict.” 

Though some students may have interpreted the cancellation as punishment, administration had no intention of the cancellation to be a punishment to the majority of students. Administration still wants students to have the opportunity to be recognized and enjoy the experience of a pep rally at SHS. 

Despite this unfortunate occurrence,  Pfeiffer shared that student safety data shows that offense charges and referrals have almost halved since last year. School safety is always a top priority of Seminole’s administration and staff, which has been shown by amazing strides in improvement of the school’s discipline, safety, and security. SHS takes pride in their school spirit and honoring of students, while still maintaining exceptional safety standards to ensure the best high school experience for all students. Keep an eye out for the pep rally on March 24!