The sky was gloomy and drizzling rain, but inside the North Gym, students were buzzing with chatter and excitement as they waited for the Spring Pep Assembly to start. On March 10, ASB rallied together all Arcadia High School (AHS) students to show support for the school’s teams and organizations this semester.

“The atmosphere of the assembly was my favorite part,” reflected sophomore Max Ma. “It’s always an enjoyable experience to gather with fellow Apaches and celebrate school spirit and our hardworking organizations.”

As the first performance was being prepared, Pep Band played enthusiastically to keep the audience entertained before the show started. ASB President senior Benjamin Oh and ASB Spirit Commissioner senior Jaimie Lee welcomed the crowd and introduced the first performance by World Drumline. The team, which was made up of several different percussion instruments, put on a dazzling performance with sequined black uniforms, complicated platforms, and choreography.

“The drumline produced some pretty cool music,” said freshman Collin Hardy. “It was one of the best assembly performances.”

The next performance was by World Guard, an excellent team of dancers that boasts over 13 consecutive years as a finalist in the Scholastic World. The performance, lasting nearly 10 minutes long, consisted of intricate choreography and props. The largest prop was two metal wheels with bright blue lights, illuminating the North Gym with a soft blue hue. The crowd oohed and aahed at the sight of the dancers spinning over, under, and on top of the two wheels, and tossing rifles and flags up in the air with sheer talent and skill.

Next up, ASB Athletics Commissioner senior Jocelyn Wang announced each of the Varsity Spring sports teams to the student audience. Track and Field, Boys Varsity Golf, Varsity Baseball, Varsity Badminton, Girls Varsity Softball, Boys Varsity Tennis, Boys Varsity Volleyball, and Varsity Swim and Dive all enthusiastically made their respective entrances, drawing out cheers and applause. Each team performed their own cheer, with some especially entertaining performances by Boys Varsity Golf and Varsity Swim and Dive. 

With half of the golf team on one side of the gym and the other half on the opposite side, a member of the team putted a golf ball across the gym into a red solo cup in one attempt, eliciting amazed and excited acclamation from the crowd. Adding a comedic end to the sports introductions, the swim team carried their members on their stomachs as they “swam” to the middle of the gym, sporting swimming caps and goggles. As the sports introductions drew to a close, excitement for this season’s sports competitions rose.

“It was a very cool experience [watching the assembly,] and seeing what other [AHS] teams had to offer was incredible,” said sophomore Samuel Li, reflecting on the different performances of that day. Li himself participated in the assembly as part of the Boys Varsity Tennis team. The tennis players had senior Jason Li bench press another player, freshman Matthew Chen, displaying their strength and athleticism in their own distinctive way.

Then, Pep Squad performed a routine for the audience after the sports announcements, ending with an epic sequence of backflips and turns through the air. The show was followed by an Orchesis performance, though this differed from the past few assemblies. Unlike the previous dances, Orchesis chose a select 10 members of their group to partner with teachers and students to make their own 5 to 10 second long choreography. Not only was this an enjoyable experience for the dancers, the students in the bleachers were filled with excitement as they recognized their very own teachers performing.

“I liked the student-teacher dance the most because it was funny seeing the teachers dance,” said senior Lynn Chen. “It was different compared to all the other assemblies we had, so it made things more interesting.” The student-teacher performance was definitely one of the unique highlights of this year’s spring assembly.

After the exhilarating performances, the 2023 prom theme and location were announced in enormous, bright posters. Located in Wallis Annenberg Building at the California Science Center with the theme “Lost in the Afterglow,” juniors and seniors are highly encouraged to partake in the dance to celebrate the last few years of high school.

Once the chatter and excitement for this year’s prom subsided, AHS seniors performed their very own dance sequence in a fun way to exhibit their pride and spirit for their last school year. Combining several of the most popular songs of recent years in a dramatic remix, the seniors incorporated a unique piece of choreography in which the lights of the gym were switched off, and they danced with their phone flashlights, illuminating the gym as the assembly drew to a close. After the Alma Mater was played, the Spring Pep Assembly officially ended.

“I loved being able to dance and perform with friends that I’ve known for so long,” said senior Helena Wang, who was part of the senior dance. “We hyped each other up and really enjoyed ourselves!”

Overall, the Spring Pep Assembly was a revitalizing experience that brought together AHS students for the 4th and final quarter of the 2022 to 2023 school year. With just a few months to go, this final assembly boosted the spirits of AHS students to support them through the last months of the school year. Congratulations to the teams and organizations that performed in the Spring Pep Assembly, it was a wonderful performance that will definitely be remembered.

Photos courtesy of LAURYN CHAO