There is no question that a huge part of student life here at Regina is the seasonal pep rallies. These events are a time where Regina students dress up, dance, scream, and shout to be voted the most spirited class while honoring our athletes.

With the winter pep rally fast approaching, there are students and faculty members who are busily making the plans for this marvelous celebrations of school pride. The Regina Dominican Athletic Association (RDAA) is responsible for putting together the rally for fall, winter, and spring sports.

RDAA is an extra-curricular club that is moderated by Ms. Speth and Ms. Pins. Although students on the club have to get final approval by administration of all ideas for pep rallies, the club is almost entirely student-run. Members are usually able to pick whatever theme they want for the pep rally (so long as it is school appropriate), the senior gift, the songs, and the games that are played between faculty and students.

Ms. Pins says, “It’s all about school spirit and bringing Regina pride to every student. RDAA mainly plans pep assemblies, but we also help out with volleyball and basketball admissions, and we do small things for the teams to get people more excited about sports.”

The club plans everything that takes place during the pep rally except for the annual student vs. faculty Gnimocemoh game run by Student Council. For example, at the fall pep rally, the club decided on a Gladiator theme. The officers then organized an opening skit which mocked a chariot ride. Once a theme is decided, the members of the club come up with games to get both students and faculty involved. Nora Byrne, a senior officer, came up with a Gladiator game for the last pep rally. The game had teachers battling it out on the basketball court with pool noodles as their weapons. Once one teacher remained, the game was over. The goal of these events is to get people excited and involved during the assembly. However, opening skits, games, or team skits are not the only form of entertainment for the school body. In past years, RDAA has gotten the Jessie White Tumblers to perform at our assemblies.

“I love the energy and being a part of the crowd like that, I think it’s the most exciting thing,” Larkin McGarr, senior officer, said about the club. “I love planning the pep rallies and putting in my own input and making it fun for people,” she continued.

The most spirited and energetic part of the pep rally is during the spirit stick competition. Each grade is given the chance, both in the beginning and end of the pep rally, to prove that they are the most spirited grade. Students try clap, scream, and stomp louder than the other grades in order to win the spirit stick. After each grade has had their turn, faculty members (that RDAA chooses) decide who is the most spirited grade.

“It gets the people going,” Nora Byrne says about RDAA. “I just really like making other people excited about Regina, and its really fun because pep rallies are the one day in the semester or quarter people are excited to come to school and get riled up. It is kind of fun to mess around and have fun for the day. It is the best club in the state of Illinois, I don’t think that’s a debate. It is just really fun. It’s about outside of the box themes; you’re kind of just thinking creatively and how to make everyone enjoy Regina,” she explained.

Not only do RDAA members plan the agenda for each pep rally, but they also choose decorations. Last year, after Ms. Pins took over as the club’s faculty moderator, she met with all of the members and coordinated how they wanted to decorate the gym. The club chose streamers and made posters. Members also suggested that foam fingers and paws be ordered for the students to have during the assemblies.

“Everybody should be proud that they are a Reginite. The school is spirited when the students are spirited. So, people should join if they have great ideas about how they can be more spirited and if they want to make everybody’s day a little bit brighter,” Ms. Pins explained.

If you love pep rallies, have a lot of school pride, and have a lot of ideas, you should absolutely join RDAA.