The first pep rally in the new school proved to be one to remember.

At the start of the rally, it was announced that the senior class won this year’s spirit week. This came with little surprise as the seniors consistently prove to have the most spirit every year. As a prize, the seniors will have an ice cream social in the spring.

The pep band performed throughout the event, standing above the gymnasium on the walking track. In addition to traditional songs, they also played some more current songs such as “Pompeii” by Bastille.

Mr. DiPalma, the beloved substitute teacher, hosted the pep rally and gave a special statement about FHS to kick off the event. He explained why he thinks Franklin High is so special, citing its dedicated teachers, encouragement of the arts, and its hardworking students. He also revisited his performance from this year’s Cabaret by doing The Dougie. The crowd went wild.

Next came the recognition of our fall sports teams and their captains. Using the projector screen, a video was shown featuring a slideshow of photographs from games and events. The captains were introduced and made their way out onto the gymnasium floor for congratulations.
Some notable accomplishments include the girls and boys soccer teams, lead by Nicole Ellin and Leah Benson, and Cal Harmon, Tim LaRowe, and Ben LaBelle, who both were the Hockomock League champions for the fourth year in a row.

The varsity cheerleaders then completed their competition-placing routine. Allie Herman is a member of the team and said that the cheerleaders “had a really good year.” The team placed in third overall at leagues and first in division 1. “We also did well at regionals,” said Allie. “But you need a score of 160 out of 200 to move on, and we got a 158.5, so that was disappointing, but… we were proud of ourselves!”

A new event followed after the cheerleaders. Inspired by the TV game show Minute To Win It, two students from each grade competed in a game called “A Bit Dicey.” The senior team, made up of Kyle Pandiscio and Gabbie Blood, won the game after Kyle quickly was able to balance six dice on a popsicle stick held by his mouth for about 10 seconds. “I thought it was a great addition [to the pep rally],” Gabbie said. However, she does suggest that, for next year, Minute To Win It games could be “an after-school event like dodgeball or Powderpuff” where each grade could have a team of more students.

Following that was the highly anticipated Senior Boys Dance. A pep rally tradition, the dance was met with some controversy this year and there was a time where it was not going to be included in the rally. However, many students worked hard to keep the dance and were successful in their efforts.
Kyle Pandiscio was one of the stars of the dance for his skills at tumbling and acrobatics. “Because of the issues and concerns about the senior boys dance, we were only given 2 weeks to prepare,” said Kyle. “We met 8-10 times every week in the gym for about 1-2 hours and we really had to focus. I think that our hard work was demonstrated and I am very happy with that outcome!” Kyle also added that “the cheerleaders gave up so much of their time and they were the reason the dance was so successful.”

Finally, the student and teacher dodgeball teams played against each other in the annual game. Last week, a new student dodgeball team made up of juniors, Seal Team 8, was crowned as the winner among the student body after beating reigning champions and seniors 7th Floor Crew. At the pep rally, Seal Team 8 showed its dominance once again by defeating the teachers. Seal Team 8 had several talented players, including Joe Corsi and Mike Skaza. Coach Sidwell, Mr. Barron, Senora DeSepio, and Mr. Sutherland were some of the teachers who partcipated. The game had commentary by two seniors, Mike Sullivan and Kyle Lundgren. Since they are juniors, Seal Team 8 can hold onto its victory for at least another year.

Pantherbook extends its thanks to the FHS student government for planning the pep rally, as well as all the other work they do for our school.

Check out Pantherbook’s Instagram for more photos and videos from this year’s pep rally and life at FHS.