Selma High began its 2023-2024 school year with a Mario Bros themed rally, hosted by their very own ASB team. The rally showcased performances by the Selma High Band and the Selma High Varsity Cheerleader squad. Among these performances were multiple Mario-themed activities for students to engage in. There’s no doubt that Selma High had an afternoon filled with excitement and school spirit.
The ASB team faced stress when planning this rally. Members of ASB were bombarded with work as they had to not only prepare for the first day of school, but also plan the first football game and rally which would be hosted at the Staley Stadium only a few hours in between, all in a short span of a week. ASB anticipates that every rally be followed with high student participation.
“…[T]he most important thing to do when there’s a rally is to come with energy,” expressed senior Chantel Rodriguez, who was MC at the event. “When you show up with zero energy, then it isn’t as fun.”
Thanks to ASB’s ability to host a fun rally, it made it memorable for seniors who have a bad reputation for not meeting ASB’s expectations with their school spirit, however, they debunked that theory by winning the cheering contest when going against every other grade.
The Selma High marching band opened the rally with a show. To prepare for their big day, the band practiced several days after school, where they would run through everything scheduled to be performed that day. As a team, they were able to overcome difficulties.
“I’m really proud of how we were able to make the performance click,” said senior Nyomi Alvardo, who plays mellophone when marching. “The visuals looked good and parts [where] we were previously struggling with had cleared up.”
The band had very high expectations for this performance and they weren’t disappointed. Their confidence was displayed as they were able to showcase what makes them happy. However, this was a bittersweet experience for some members of the band due to the fact that this event would be the last time they’d be able to perform with this specific ensemble.
The first game of the afternoon was a relay consisting of frisbees and your fastest running skills. It involved having three hula hoops in which there stood a student at each one, students then passed the frisbee to each other in anticipation that the anchor would run to the end of the field and arrive at an inflatable pool that represented a ball pit. In this pool, they had to find a specific ball that had “Oskie” written on it. The seniors came victorious thanks to Justise Montoya who waved the ball in the air signifying he was the winner.
The Selma High Cheerleader squad then put on a show for the Selma High Bears. To ensure a great performance, the squad practiced that same week as well as the week before to prepare their stunts and to guarantee a smooth dance routine. They displayed their hard work through the ability to use their adrenaline and excitement to the fullest and show their greatest potential despite the heat that overcame them that day. Not only was the heat their toughest opponent, but so was having to cheer in front of the whole school.
“It was kind of scary at first thinking about performing in front of the whole school, but once you’re out there, it’s fun,” expresses Junior Alexis Aguilera, who is a flier. Her position is to go up in the air with the help of two bases and a backspot.
The squad’s expectations were met thanks to all the practice incorporated in anticipation of the rally.
After the performances, came the beach ball game. This game had a person from each grade level listen to a recording of a specific Mario character then run to the big beach ball and write what character they believed that sound correlated to.
“I was honestly very impressed with how the kids laid out the sounds.” expressed Activities Director Ms. Garcia.
After writing the name on the ball the participant then threw the ball in hopes that their classmates would direct the ball to the assigned ASB member. Seniors and juniors came neck to neck however, the class of 2024 came victorious once again.
To end the rally, ASB organized a real-life Mario Kart race. The game had lowerclassmen compete with upperclassmen. They began their race on the track with go-carts and made their way to their teammates who were standing on the 100, 200, and 300-meter marks. The participants, in desperation to win, began to play against the rules and instead of having them pedal, they began pushing one another to the finish line.
“When our team started pushing the cart I couldn’t stop laughing. It felt good to be pushed until the finish line” said senior Nicolas Colado, who was the anchor for his team. With the help of his teammates, Colado was able to win the race for the upperclassmen. This was a memorable rally for all, but it especially impacted the seniors, who won several games and witnessed what could be one of their last rallies.
“It’s a good feeling to see your whole school engaged in an event, and I hope there’s more times like these,” added Colado.
