Park held its annual winter pep fest Feb. 24. Usually, the pep fests take place before a big event such as homecoming or prom, but with no winter dance this year, the pep fest was Park’s main event. This pep fest featured multiple new events, including a version of musical chairs with club leaders and a sibling race.
According to student council advisor Valerie Weaver, at the beginning of the pep fest, the energy was lacking because there was no big event such as homecoming or the end of the year, but as time went on, the energy increased.
“I feel like the energy from the crowd started off a little lower just because it wasn’t homecoming. Then the spring will be the end of the school year kind of energy, but I think it got there,” Weaver said. “(The energy) was still very positive, and I think it was basically the same as any other pep fest.”
Student council president, senior Maggie Tight said she still felt the pep fest was fun and beneficial for Park even without a dance afterwards. She said the pep fest provided entertainment for students and made Wednesday more fun.
“It felt a little bit random, but at the same time, it’s always fun to have a week where we can express our school pride, especially in the middle of the winter,” Tight said. “It’s really fun to have an interactive, lighthearted week and something fun going on on (a) Wednesday.”
According to junior Adeline Berg, the pep fest was fun even without a dance because of the dress codes, the entertainment and her overall disinterest in the winter dance.
“The pep fest is exciting because we can still do the dress codes and can still have fun,” Berg said. “I didn’t really go to the (winter) dance before, so that part doesn’t really affect me.”
Weaver said student council leadership planned out the pep fest successfully and were able to move past problems in order to put together the festivities and ensure the activities ran smoothly.
“Maggie Tight, our president, has had the plan for the pep fest set for weeks,” Weaver said. “She did a really good job of planning the activities and making sure she and our Club and Sports Coordinator had people to compete in the activities. There were a couple behind the scenes snafus with materials and supplies, but we were able to adapt quickly.”
According to Tight, the student council enjoys planning the pep fest, and many members of the student council help with the execution in order to make it as fun as possible.
“Organizing the pep fest is always really fun, and in (the) student council, pretty much anyone who wants to work on it has a chance to pitch their ideas,” Tight said. “As a group, (we) decide what we think would be the most fun, most interactive (and) most entertaining.”
Weaver said she wants students to feel proud of being students at Park. According to her, she wants them to feel that they are a part of the community at Park and have a chance to interact with people outside of their circle.
“I hope (students) feel like they had a shared experience, that they’re proud to be a part of our school and feel connected with their classmates and people they don’t normally talk to,” Weaver said.
Berg said she enjoyed the sibling race because it was entertaining and new. She said the pep fest overall was enjoyable, and she liked sharing school spirit with everyone.
“My favorite part was probably the sibling race because it was funny to see something new. Overall, I think it’s fun to see all the school spirit and have everyone be in the same place at one time, which is kind of rare,” Berg said.
Tight said she and the student council want students to leave the pep fest with pride in Park and a desire to be a part of the community.
“I hope students have a sense of pride in their school and are excited to be part of our community,” Tight said. “That’s student council’s main message, and I hope people take that away from the pep fest.”
