On Wednesday, Aug. 21, Archie Williams Associated Student Body (ASB) held the first rally of the 2024-25 school year to close out Day One. Senior and ASB President Caroline Lozaw led the rally with Senior Class President Jasper Cohen, celebrating seniors and welcoming new students to the Archie Williams community. The event united the school with high-spirited activities, such as the Falcon chant and musical chairs, with a guest appearance from Peer Resource’s safe-sex representative, Captain Condom.

To begin the rally, seniors Donovan Traub and Jordan Oliver-Roa brought out the Archie Williams flag along with the unique Falcon tradition of the “spirit can.” The decorated trash can encouraged students to show their enthusiasm for the new school year by screaming when Donovan and Jordan opened it. Although Archie Williams Dance Troupe, a favorite at rallies, did not perform, crowd spirit did not suffer.

To build community between grades, seniors teamed up with freshmen, and sophomores with juniors, in a relay race activity. This included a three-legged sprint and balancing a ping-pong ball on a spoon. Afterwards, Archie Williams Leadership kept up the fun with a game of finish-the-lyric and musical inner tubes. 

“[The goal was] to bring everyone together, [and] especially for the freshmen to see that we have spirit,” Caroline L. said. “I feel like Day One sets the tone for how the rest of the year will be, so I wanted to be like, ‘Our school is really fun, it’s exciting.’”

Freshman Caroline McFerron believes Falcon school spirit played a vital role in making new students feel welcomed and appreciated.

“It was a good community-building experience that welcomed me to the school,” Caroline M. said.

The freshman class connected with peers and began to transition into a high-school environment by participating in the rally. Bringing students together on Day One showed freshmen the spirited community they have the chance to join at Archie Williams. 

“[The school community] feels tight, like family. There was a lot of energy,” said freshman Rowan Smalling.

After the games came a presentation from Archie Williams Peer Resource that highlighted the resources they provide to all students. While playing Captain Condom, senior Leonardo Olivotti briefed new students on the valuable physical, mental, and sexual health support available on campus. 

The rally succeeded as an energetic introduction to the school year, promising more excitement ahead and successfully paving the way for incoming freshmen. With such a strong start, students can expect future rallies to impress with fun activities and Dance Troupe performances to strengthen the Archie Williams community.