Despite the cancellation of Snowcoming, Niles West finished spirit week with a winter pep assembly on Friday, Feb. 9. The assembly included games, honoring winter athletes and performances from four fine arts groups.
A total of nine activities were presented, including a basketball shootout with Assistant Principal of Operations Steve Parnther versus Principal Jeremy Christian, the D219 Special Dragons shooting baskets and productions by Orchesis and the Varsity Girls Dance Team.
Before competitions, Niles West introduced four Masters of Ceremonies to conduct the rally. To begin, the cheer team performed for everyone.
“I felt like we put a lot of work into this season, doing a lot better than we had last year. Our performance at the pep assembly was definitely one of our best this season. It had been weeks since we had even practiced, so I’m sure everybody was very exhausted at the end of the performance. I know we all put our best out for the school,” freshman cheerleader Jackson Pelletier said.
Winter sport athletes were then recognized for their seasons in a game of ‘red light, green light,’ in which Big Red waved flags around signaling when to run and stop. A total of 20 students competed in three rounds with four students in the finale. They all raced to the finish line, but cheerleader and junior Charles Alvarado reached the end and won.
A Capella group Resolve was also present to showcase their vocals. They sang a mashup rendition of “Survivor,” by Destiny’s Child and “I Will Survive,” by Gloria Gaynor. Throughout their performance, students and staff were singing along.
“I really enjoyed the experience, being able to sing with a group of people who mean the world to me in front of our peers, introducing some to the incredible world of a cappella. From my perspective, we sounded great… [and] I am really proud of how far we’ve come as a group this year and can’t wait to see how we progress moving forward,” junior Camila Smith said.
Teachers participated in a musical chairs competition, dancing along to the music being played, but were scrambling when the song cut off. To end the game, two staff members fought for the final chair, but choir director Justin De La Cruz was able to secure the last seat.
Finishing up the artistic entertainment of the assembly, dance group Bollywest made their debut performance in front of the school, combining Bollywood and Western songs to create a cultural fusion. The West audience cheered them on as they captivated eyes with a blend of traditional and contemporary dance styles.
“Since this was my first time performing in front of the whole school, I was definitely nervous, but it felt good to dance to songs and remixes that resembled aspects of my culture… I think as a team we did a great job working together to perform our very best,” sophomore dancer Alvina Joseph said.
To end the assembly, the sophomore class, winners of the Wolfpack Games, played a game of tug of war against staff. They pulled back and forth against the gym floor until the sophomores won.
“I enjoyed watching the dancers and it was funny seeing the students beat the teachers in tug of war. Even though it was disappointing seeing Snowcoming be canceled, I’m glad there was still an assembly,” sophomore Marvin Rhone said.
