When thinking about high school, the first thoughts that come to mind are difficult classes, mountains of new people, and lots of school spirit. Rallies in high school are classified as a big celebration of milestones including welcoming students back to school, homecoming, formal, and the final rally of the year (and for some their final rally in high school). While avoiding going to rallies aren’t an option, do students at Mills find them to be delightful or not in the slightest bit enjoyable?
For some students at Mills, rallies are some of the best ways to make memories in high school with fun events that not only happen during the rally but rather throughout the week such as twin day or pajama day. Events like these allow the Mills community to engage in something exciting and give some enjoyment in the hectic lives of being a student or being a member of the Mills faculty. Sophomore, Thanasis Papakostas shares his opinions, “ To be honest, rallies are some of the best things that this school has to offer. It allows students to show their immense school spirit and it makes the school day shorter. What’s not to love [about] rallies?” Often the lives of students are solely based on their studies, creating stress while having rallies and school events provide a space to express ourselves. They also serve as an outlet to not only bring upperclassmen and lowerclassmen together but invite the element of competition between the four. During rallies, there is normally a chosen theme and each grade is given a particular color to wear. They are also encouraged to be as loud as they can be when rooting for their class. Rallies are more than just the entirety of the Mills student body yelling at each other in one large room. Appearances from the Mills Drill Team, cheer team, dance team, and other clubs are among many of the entertainment factors during rallies. The diversity in activities planned for spirit weeks and rallies ensure that they will be fun for just about anyone.
Even with this being said, there are many students at Mills who may not find rallies to be the most enjoyable experiences. Some would prefer school without rallies and would rather have a normal school day take place. Generally, students don’t enjoy being forced to go to rallies because they would rather not have to hear the deafening sounds of students screaming and loud balloons popping every so often. Others feel as if there is a lack of understanding when it comes to figuring out what exactly is happening during rallies as some of the explanations of the events are never heard, due to the cheering of students that overpower the voices of the announcers and the lack of a well-working sound system. Freshman, Victoria Ratto states, “ During skits I can never hear what the announcers are saying because everyone is so loud.” Rallies often tend to get competitive, leaving some students wondering if their class was cheated out of the victory that was rightfully theirs or if the whole judging system was rigged from the beginning. In simple terms, rallies for some portion of the student body at Mills are pointless and a waste of class time.
As a current Sophomore at Mills, I’ve been to quite a few rallies and I have seen them grow in creativity as the year continues (at least in comparison to last year), which has made spirit weeks and rallies much more entertaining. There are pros and cons in just about everything, including rallies, but for me personally, I enjoy rallies in the sense that I get to be a part of something bigger than myself and see the eagerness of my classmates. I enjoy seeing what spirited outfits my friends come up with and the aesthetically pleasing Instagram posts that come after spirit weeks. Rallies give people an idea of the what Mills proclaims to be and at the core of that, the environment that our student body creates. I do agree that rallies can be overwhelming and difficult to understand at times, but I also enjoy being given the opportunity to scream as loud as my throat and vocal cords can endure for no apparent reason and if that argument isn’t convincing enough, the shorter periods should be.
While social events that take place at school aren’t always fond of, students should take these events lightheartedly as they are intended to be and live in the moment. High school tends to speed up throughout the year and before you know it, you’ll be walking on a stage receiving a diploma saying goodbye to Mills. There will continue to be a difference in opinion when it comes to the purpose and need for rallies, but in the end students and faculty members at Mills should acknowledge the hard work that goes into planning spirit weeks and rallies that Ms. Doves leadership students take part in.
