William Byrd Middle School held the annual Winter Pep Rally on Dec. 19, the last day before
the holidays. “Pep Rally” can’t describe all the fun the school packed into the morning’s
activities. By the end of the program, nearly every student and staff member had some part in the
fun.
The activities began with recognition of winter sports athletes in indoor track, swimming,
wrestling, girls and boys basketball, and cheer, along with members of the Puppy Pound.
The Cheer Team was there not just to root for the athletes, but to perform cheer routines with
faculty and staff who volunteered to participate, including Principal Katie Hutchison and School
Resource Officer Joe Mullins.
moves.
moves of his own.
Next up was the “Pie in the Face” event in which students who brought in the most food
donations for the Community Christmas Store during November earned the privilege of “pieing”
a teacher or staff member with a whipped cream pie. (Teachers were allowed to wear protective
clothing and goggles.)
Teachers who were “pied” were Bill Pratt, Kevin Lewis, Kim Sarver, Jordan Richards, and
Denise Aspell. Students who threw the pies included Grayson Woodford, Chelsei Mendoza,
Tenley Gusler, and Vivian Hunter.
After the pies were thrown and the teachers and floor were cleaned up, it was time for the annual
faculty vs. student basketball game. Staff members who signed up for the competition included
Lexi Powell, Kayla Mitchell, Helen Riddle, Asst. Principal Abby Barnes, Bill Pratt, Christian
Moore, Mickey Del Castillo, Shane Shepherd, Andrew Close, and William Brodmerkel, but
many more had joined in before the mayhem ended with a faculty win after four five-minute
quarters. Surprisingly, some faculty members did not follow standard basketball rules. Asst.
Principal Allison Thornton officiated the game.
Still, that was not all. The morning ended with a tug of war with a rope stretched across the
entire gym floor—sixth vs. seventh grade, sixth vs. eighth grade, seventh grade vs, eighth grade,
faculty vs. each grade level, and then against the wrestling team, the basketball team, and
possibly more combinations, until the competition ended due to faculty exhaustion.
Faculty announcers for the event who did their best to keep things running smoothly were Kevin
Lewis and Jenny Cain.
