’Twas the day before Winter Break and all through Shawnee, students were laughing and cheering at the Winter Pep Rally.

With all of the excitement and joy that comes with the holidays and the idea of Winter Break, Shawnee High School took a day to sit back, relax, and allow students and staff members to enjoy the holiday season together with a Winter Pep Rally, as well as a Winter Choral Concert presented by Shawnee’s multiple choral programs. Additionally, Shawnee guidance counselor Mr. Darren Welsh was named Shawnee’s Educational Services Professional of the Year. Congratulations, Mr. Welsh! Later on that day, Mr. Marc Rohm was named as Shawnee High School’s Teacher of the Year for his work with Shawnee’s Special Education department. Congratulations, Mr. Rohm!

The Winter Pep Rally was hosted in the gym and was full of fun activities as the various grades faced off against each other. The pep rally began with an excellent performance by Shawnee’s own Dance Team. After the Dance Team came the main event of the pep rally: the competition between the classes. This year’s matchups: Seniors vs. Sophomores and Juniors vs. Freshmen. There were really no winners or losers, however, as the goal of the pep rally was to just let loose and have fun.

The teams competed in a multitude of holiday-themed events, including a “Santa’s Sleigh” relay race, in which one student, the reindeer, had to pull another student on a scooter, Santa in his sleigh, around cones as they raced the other team to the other side while making sure not to drop the presents that Santa had to carry. Another event was Hooking for Candy Canes, a game similar to Bobbing for Apples, in which students had to hold a candy cane in their mouth and use it to pick up other candy canes and put them in a bag, then race the bag back to their team before the other team. The final game of the pep rally was Holiday Trivia, in which participants from both teams were asked various questions relating to holiday movies and songs.

Following the end of the games, Shawnee staff members performed various dance routines in the gym which all culminated in a massive dance-off between staff members. It was a hilarious display that left many students laughing.

The annual Winter Choral Concert was also held that day. Students from the various choral programs at Shawnee, including Shawnee Singers, Boy’s Ensemble, and Girl’s Ensemble, came together to perform various winter, Christmas, and Hanukkah songs. Emily Dunn, who will star as Cinderella in Shawnee’s upcoming production of “Rogers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” provided students with a preview of the show by performing the song “In My Own Little Corner.”  Additionally, Shawnee’s Steel Pan Ensemble also joined in the show, performing “Carol of the Bells” while joined by an accompanying drummer and bass guitar player.

This day of fun, games, and music also marked the very last day that Shawnee staff member Mrs. Judy Flennard worked at Shawnee. Retiring after working at Shawnee for 27 years, Mrs. Flennard will be remembered for the great services that she provided to Shawnee’s athletic department. The Renegade Report would like to thank Mrs. Flennard for all that she has done for Shawnee and we wish her a very happy retirement!

Thus, Shawnee’s day of winter fun was ended. Students were released back to their classrooms and then, as the final bell rang, the students all rushed through the halls to catch their buses and make it to their cars, braving the cold weather and preparing for a relaxing and joyful week off from school as they enjoyed the holidays and welcomed in the New Year.