A pep rally, pep assembly or pep session is a gathering of people, typically students of

middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

, and

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

age, before a school sporting event. The purpose of such a gathering is to encourage school spirit and to support members of the

team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to in ...

. This is often done by wearing school colors or chanting school cheers. It is generally seen as an American and

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

phenomenon, used to create hype before a sporting event. A pep rally often occurs before homecoming, prom, or even regional or national games for the school. It is usually held inside a school gym or other large sporting

arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

in the area. In an attempt to boost enthusiasm before an event, pep rallies are usually very loud and energetic. They are used to encourage the team, enhance their spirits, and help them gain the confidence to perform their best. A pep rally helps a school team to know that they have their schools absolute support. Often, businesses or speakers such a town mayor, law enforcement, or motivational speaker will come to promote their business or event happening in their field. A pep rally may also be held after a sporting event, perhaps to celebrate the success or win of a championship game. During a pep rally, school sporting teams will make an appearance or participate in student-engaging activities. The school

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...

or cheerleaders may partner up to perform a dance or skit to make the audience laugh. These school sporting teams often wear their jerseys or uniforms to proudly represent the team they are a part of. Fu
games
to create laughter and joy during the pep rally take place to create a fun, enjoyable environment. Pep rallies may also include flashy lights such as a

strobe A strobe light or stroboscopic lamp, commonly called a strobe, is a device used to produce regular flashes of light. It is one of a number of devices that can be used as a stroboscope. The word originated from the Ancient Greek ('), meaning ...

light or

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

lights to draw the attention of the crowd. The students in attendance may be given t-shirts,

pom poms Pom or POM may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Pom (comics) (1919–2014), a Belgian comic strip writer and artist * Baby Pom, a fictional character in the British television programme ''Fimbles'' * Pom, a character in the video game ''Them's F ...

, air horns, or any type of school promotional item to wave or use during the pep rally. These school gathering can allow students feel included, have a sense of belonging, and even feel appreciated.

References

cheerleading sports culture {{sport-stub

See also

References