Riley Wang
*This is an opinion piece and it includes personal bias.
Akron Early College had its annual fall pep assembly today. I was planning to skip the event because 1. it is not mandatory for juniors (upperclassmen privileges) and 2. I still want to have my voice the next day. However, I decided otherwise because it is the first time AEC had the pep assembly in the Student REC center gym (a nice upgrade from the dimly lit STEM gymnasium). Another new experience was that AEChad its own Pep Band performing. It was a small group of students led by Mr. Milo, and they were amazing! There were only six students, but their sound radiated throughout the gym, and they accompanied each other well. I also enjoyed our AEC Cheer team, Dance Team, and the BSU Step Dance Team. It was amazing to see the Cheer Team grew in numbers compared to last year, and they always get the students hyped up. The Dance Team also had cool choreography, and I enjoyed every minute of the performance. BSU’s step dance performance was powerful. I felt the energy behind every foot strike and hand clap. All the cheerleaders and dancers did a great job! Thank you guys so much for the amazing performances!
Next up was the student athlete recognition. Even though our school does not have many sports teams (shoutout to AEC girls flag football and cross country club), Principal O’Neil still wants to recognize the hard work of students who play sports at their home high schools. These students have to manage the stress of college while playing a high demand sport. This is very challenging and many AEC student athletes stay up late to work on homework (speaking from personal experience) to make this possible. This year was the first time our school had a cross country team, and as a runner on the team, I am extremely grateful that our coach, Mr. L. O’Neil, made a special mention of us. It was awesome to hear the school cheering and clapping for the athletes! Good job to all the athletes!
Finally it was time for the students vs. staff games. I was expecting the students to lose the dodgeball game but was pleasantly surprised when the juniors and the seniors won (The O’Neil brothers did not come to play and so did the juniors and seniors). It was also really nice to see students cheering everyone on even if they are not in their class. Next was the freshmen vs. staff three legged race. The staff had good techniques and were able to beat the freshmen (It’s ok, freshies, you guys are still learning and will beat them next time). This was followed by the sophomore vs. staff egg on spoon relay. It was a tight race between the students and the staff, but unfortunately, the students dropped the egg and the staff got the win (It’s alright sophomore, you will beat them in the spring). Then it was the junior vs. staff balloon relay. The juniors went into the race with a plan (lightly tapping the balloon prevents it from going too high, thus cutting down time) and came out with the win (proud of you guys). The last game was the senior vs. staff musical chair. And again, the seniors took victory (even with Mr. Konate hovering over three chairs). Nice job to all the students and the staff who participated in the games, I had fun cheering you guys on!
Lastly, AEC capped off the pep rally by singing the Alma Mater and the presentation of the spirit stick. The students cheered Mr. Diruzza on as he ran around the gym with the spirit stick. He circled around the juniors, freshmen, sophomores, and seniors, as we anxiously waited for the winner. Then, Mr. Diruzza took a quick turn and planted the spirit stick in front of the sophomores. A boy grabbed the stick and ran around the gym with the rest of the sophomore class following behind him. Great job sophomores for showing sportsmanship and school spirit! You guys have bragging rights until next spring! Awesome job to all the freshmen, juniors, and seniors who came out and supported their classmates; It was greatly appreciated. And thank you to all the staff who made the pep assembly possible; it was a fun experience and I enjoyed it very much!
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