The following story is by Bear Creek Secondary School co-op student Bridgette Gilroy.
Bear Creek Secondary School is ready to celebrate its pride at today's student-led pep rally.
Organized by the south-end Barrie school's student council, Bear Creek and its many clubs and teams are coming together for the annual celebration, consisting of performances from the school’s drum line, dance team and Dance Crew, as well as various games for students and staff.
Following the rally there will be a football game between the Bear Creek Kodiaks and the Barrie North Vikings — the seniors play at 1:30 p.m., followed by the juniors at 3:30 p.m. The two senior squads are both undefeated with 3-0 records on the season.
New to the pep rally lineup this year, a teacher will be pied in the face.
“It’s really important for students to have a voice in what’s going on at their school,” says Grade 12 student council president Nathan McCuaig, who has been on council for four years. “We know what we want to see … we know what works and what doesn’t work for us.
“(Student council is) a way for people to put their voice out there and learn that when you work for something, you can make stuff happen,” McCuaig adds. “That’s how we get stuff to happen in the world. We have to work for it.”
Bear Creek student council prides itself on its student leadership, with the help of staff advisors Christine Chappel and Tanya Yersh. Almost all of the prep work and organization seen within the school can be attributed to the student council members.
“We just support the students,” says Chappel. “Our president and vice-president, they’re the ones that lead the team, and then we've got quite a few students (on council) who have volunteered their time.”
As the most popular school event of the year, the pep rally is a chance for the student body to come together and share their pride and spirit.
Games such as musical chairs, potato race and huckle buckle, as well as the musical and dance performances, are excellent opportunities for staff and students to get excited about the upcoming school year, says Grade 12 student council vice-president Aleena Dhanji.
“It’s a really great way for Grade 9s to ... get a rush of the high school feeling,” says Dhanji, who's in her second year on student council and her first year as vice-president.
“Last year, I loved helping out with stuff, so this year I was happy to have a bigger position," she adds. "It's nice being able to put in the work and see how it gets executed.”
The greatly anticipated new addition to the school’s pep rally is a student-selected teacher to be ‘pie-faced'. To vote, students must donate a nonperishable food item. This food is then divided between the Barrie Native Friendship Centre and the Barrie Food Bank.
“We've got six teachers, phenomenal educators … they’re going to suffer the embarrassment of having a pie thrown in their face,” Chappel says.
The pep rally is not only the biggest event of the school year, but also a large contributor to Bear Creek’s funding. Earnings from student cards, Bear Creek merchandise and other school events are put toward the many clubs and teams the school has to offer.
Other events led by student council include the semi-formal, the Terry Fox Run and Colour Clash.
Perhaps one of the biggest events of the school year, Bear Creek’s Colour Clash is a day for students to show their spirit by wearing the colour selected for their grade. Last year, the Grade 12 students did not hold back, winning for the most participants beaming in blue.
“We’ve always done Colour Clash, but this year we plan to make it much bigger,” says McCuaig. “We want to go full-out and make it this huge thing everyone can be super excited for.
"It’s going to be completely different — it’s going to be bigger and better.”
Bear Creek’s cosmetology class has offered to give students temporary Terry Fox tattoos and paw-print face paint.
During second period, students are encouraged to participate in the annual Terry Fox Run, where they will be collecting toonies. Finally, students can head down to the gym during fourth period to experience the main event — the pep rally — followed by the football games against rival Barrie North.
“It kind of brings everyone together to support one thing," says Dhanji. “Everybody’s together, everybody’s celebrating.”
