Wall Holds Pep Week (Part I?)

By Zach Lichter

    As Wall High School entered the 2020-21 school year with a lot of uncertainty. It was no doubt that the student council and the class advisors wanted to find a way to hold pep week safely. 
     Many of the events such as hall decorating, powder puff football and the pep rally have been postponed in the hope they will be feasible in the spring. But there were still plenty of other events that students were able to participate in like the car decorating contest, virtual painting night, the “Why I Love Wall High School” Contest and trivia about the school and town.
     “The students that took part in the virtual painting night told me they really liked it,” said Wall assistant principal Mrs. Kristen Scott. “Many of our students also appreciated the prizes they won for Wall trivia and dressing up for spirit days. I like how students who were all virtual also won prizes so it kept them tied to the spirit week as well.”
     Plans for the spring pep week are being closely considered for some of the traditional activities Wall High School has every year. Mrs. Scott is hoping that students will be able to participate in powder puff, hall decorating and the pep rally as a vaccine is distributed and the world returns to some kind of normalcy.
     “I am working with the student advisory to determine some alternatives for the spring,” she said. “For example, if we can't do hallway decorating because there are still indoor restrictions that are greater than the outdoor restrictions, then we are looking at doing floats. For some of the activities, we would need to look exactly at the restrictions and best practice so we could make an informed decision on what type of alternative there is. We all hope that we won't need alternatives and we can simply have all activities planned safely, but only time will tell!”
     With powder puff and the pep rally being moved to the spring, the traditional pep week was held this fall and that included the homecoming ceremony. This year’s homecoming nominees were seniors Cassandra Betz, Alexa Clayton, Casey Larkin, Austin Lord, Elizabeth Miller, Grace Penkethman, Logan Peters and Brett Tidwell. The ceremony took place at halftime during the football game between Wall and Manasquan. 
     All eight members of the homecoming court removed their masks but did not lock arms with their partners. They were socially distanced on the yard markers so their pictures could be taken.
     “The administrators did a very nice job of making sure the court was comfortable and happy with what they decided for us to do,” Betz said.
     The school still voted for the homecoming king and queen during the fall pep week. This year’s homecoming king is Logan Peters and this year’s homecoming queen is Betz. 
     “Being chosen for homecoming queen means that my fellow classmates notice all my hard work, whether that be in school, sports or clubs,” Betz said. “Winning something like homecoming queen also helps keep me motivated to continue to be involved within our school and community. I like to be involved and lead by example, and I am very glad that my classmates at Wall High School see those qualities in me as well!”
     The 2020 fall pep week was unlike any other at Wall High School, but the students and staff were able to make the most of it as everybody is continuing to navigate through this unusual school year.