For the past several years, Millbrook has held its homecoming pep rally inside our gymnasium. While this still garnered school spirit, something had to change. An outdoor homecoming was a feasible option that would make for a more lively experience for everyone. Millbrook Executive Board, a strand of Millbrook’s student council, worked hard to produce Millbrook’s first outdoor homecoming in years, making it one to remember. However, before MEB could start planning, there was pushing.
Kierston Bartney, one of our schools outstanding administrators and a National Board Certified Teacher, has had this idea brewing in her head for some time now. When asked about it she said, “Having the pep rally outside has been an idea in my head for the past two years; however, each year there was a threat of rain.” She then went on to describe the importance of having the student body all together to celebrate, as opposed to having two separate sessions as that was all the gym allowed. “Having students together celebrating homecoming should be an amazing experience.” Bartney also expressed the opportunities provided by a larger venue, like having all of the fall athletics recognized, the band, cheerleaders, and performers in an open air environment.
Now that the pep rally had the green light to be done outside, that’s where MEB came in. Millbrook Executive Board is a part of Millbrook’s student government association. They work with the other class councils to participate and plan school-wide events. William Brown, an MEB co-chair, was excited about how the outdoor pep rally evolved to its full form. When he described his experience, he said, “I really enjoyed just seeing it all happen, because you know, it’s like one thing to plan something out, and another thing to execute it and see it go off pretty well…it made me very happy.” His favorite thing about the pep rally was seeing his coworker, David Beller, give one of the school goats, Petunia, a kiss.
Students in MEB also had their hands deep into the planning and execution of the big event. Apart from putting the pep rally on, they also assist in making sure the homecoming dance goes smoothly. Jayden Paulson, a junior member, expressed how his favorite part of being on MEB throughout the homecoming process was setting up the dance and later cleaning it up with his fellow members. “As much as [cleaning up the dance] is extremely late into the night, I think the fun part of MEB is getting to do so many collaborative activities with other amazing people.” Another junior, John Kivett, also enjoys being on the board for larger events. When he reflected on it, he said “I think it’s fun and a good experience to learn how to serve the creation process for our community.”
A fun new element was also born out of the sunny pep rally, with the Millbrook Sports Broadcasting Network. The new club at Millbrook was off to a hot start with their first large event. Connor Hartley and Davis Flaig were the main announcers for their first event. The club specializes in sports broadcasting, journalism, and live event coverage. They certainly fulfilled those goals, as the pep rally was streamed by them on Hudl. This allowed families and community members to experience the excitement virtually as they never had before.
Overall, hosting the pep rally outdoors has established a new Millbrook tradition – one that not only honors school pride, but also introduces innovative ways to showcase student achievement, creativity and collaboration.
