On Friday, August 15th, Amador Valley High School held its annual Aloha Rally, scheduled for later in the day than usual. The Aloha Rally is a culmination of a fun, spirited week meant to welcome students back to school. However, the later start time resulted in higher heat levels that sparked complaints from students.
“It was 1 p.m., the sun was at its highest, the temperature was so hot, everyone was sweating, it was so bad. And then last year, the leadership threw some water at everyone, and this time it did not happen.” said Giulia Colaco (26).
Reasons for the Timing Change
Leadership decided to change the timing of the rally to better cater students’ needs.
“[The department heads] came to us and said, ‘Look, having fourth period, fifth period, and sixth period after lunch on a rally day is really hard on students.’ By the time kids hit sixth period… they’re beat. Our administration tries really hard to accommodate all the requests teachers give us.” Leadership Advisor Wendy Connelly.
When Leadership planned the rally, the heat was not supposed to be a problem. On Monday August 11, the forecasted weather was set for a high of 85℉. The temperature was supposed to be 74℉ during the rally time.
“Trying to have the rally before fifth period was something we really wanted to do. Teachers had been asking for it and they thought it would have been better for the students. If this had been earlier in the week, it would have been 75 degrees,” said Connelly.
However, by the end of the week, that temperature had climbed to 93℉, creating an uncomfortable situation for rally-goers. The rally happened to be the one day that a heat wave hit.
“I thought it should have been before the third period when it’s nice and still 75. We were all sweating during the rally.” said Don Squad Vice President Mateo Eichler (26).
A New Welcome
Despite the heat, Amador students enjoyed the rally, part of AV Leadership’s efforts to reignite school spirit on campus.
“This year, we have a lot more information going on. We’re going over all of our first semester events, we’re going to have an Amador Aloha intro. Don Squad, for rallies as a whole this year… will be a lot more involved.” said Aloha Committee Overseer Jiya Channon (26).
An annual tradition, spectators watched performances from the Cheer Team, AV Dhamaka, and the AV Pom Team. Students were able to view upcoming events, such as dates for Homecoming, Pigskin, and Winter Carnival. Don Squad also went on to encourage school spirit.
“It was a great rally, to be honest… It was definitely more fun than the last couple years, because I was actually part of it. I had a great time just being on the field.” said Eichler.
In addition, the rally featured a rock-paper-scissors game played by winners of Aloha Week games. The day before the Aloha rally, students played a rock-paper scissors game aimed to connect students on Campus. Students had the opportunity to connect and say hello to each other during “Hello Day”.
“I actually saw kids going around looking up from their phone when people were saying hello to them. It was really cute.” said Connelly.
In the future, Leadership and ASB plan to continue this tradition of interactive spirit days, from events like Fun Fridays to wacky holidays. They also plan to continue growing Amador Aloha into an annual tradition.
“The rally is just really about inclusion and we’re really trying to make sure that everybody on campus feels included and that they’re comfortable with the leadership team,” said Channon.
