video by BETSY TAMPKE

[wpvideo GoFYgRpx]

story by KATIE McCOMBS

STA Spirit Club writes, performs winter pep rally

‘I’m too tried to be funny’

Spirit Club president senior Kathleen Hough and vice president senior Betsy Tampke stared blankly at a plot summary as they worked into the late hours of the night. It was 11:45 p.m., one week before the big performance, and the winter sports pep rally had not yet been written.

‘Stop falling asleep, stop falling asleep,’ Kathleen said as she nudged her companion awake.

‘I’m too tired to be funny,’ Betsy said.

‘Ms. Dolan is going to kill us,’ Kathleen said.

‘Okay, let’s just take a 30-minute nap,’ Betsy said.

‘Betsy, I don’t do naps,’ Kathleen replied.

And she was right.

The officers’ intended 30 minute cat nap turned into a 10 hour snooze.

According to Kathleen and Betsy, this dialogue reflects a typical pre-pep rally night.

Writer’s block

Throughout the year, the two officers write three pep rallies in coordination of each sport season. While the student body may anxiously anticipate each pep rally, Kathleen would rather not have more than three a year.

‘Pep rallies are so fun to put on and get the school involved in,’ Kathleen said. ‘But at the same time, they add so much stress to our lives.’

According to Kathleen, most of her stress comes from writing the pep rallies. Betsy agreed and said that the girls sit down together and focus on writing the pep rally for four to five hours.

‘For the most part, we try to write the script how we want it to be performed,’ Betsy said. ‘We write things so that they’re funny. Kathleen and I are open to suggestions, but we’re pretty much attached to the script we write.’

Kathleen and Betsy consider themselves a perfect pair for writing pep rallies, because they balance each other out. Betsy is more time-oriented and practical, while Kathleen is more plot-focused and creative.

‘We usually just feed off of one another,’ Kathleen said. ‘Betsy will say something funny and I’ll add on to it.’

We’re not in Kansas anymore

After the script is completed, Spirit Club faces a recurring issue of time management.

‘It typically takes three weeks to prepare for a pep rally,’ Kathleen said. ‘That being said, we cram three weeks’ worth of time into the week of the rally.’

While creating STA’s most recent pep rally for the winter sports season, Spirit Club began brainstorming and selecting a theme weeks in advance and eventually chose ‘ËœThe Wizard of Oz.’

According to Betsy, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ was a very relevant theme for the entire staff and student body.

‘[Kathleen and I] thought that it would be really funny to think of STA as ‘ËœThe Wizard of Oz’,’ Betsy said. ‘It was definitely a theme that everyone could relate to, whereas, in the previous pep rally, not that many people could relate to ‘ËœFull House’ if they never watched the show.’

Cast of “The Sister Named Joan”

Narrator: Morgan Bene
Dorothy: Betsy Tampke
Antie Em – Barbara McCormick: Jordan Brown
Ms. Hoecker: Rose Hutchison
Toto – Critter: Kelly O’Byrne
Head munchkin: Grace Bisbee
Munchkins: Kennedy Reller, Christina Barton, Margot Livers, Janie Thompson, Taylor Kramer, Madeline Barth, Mimi Hart, Mallory Radtke, Margaret Weiler, Andie Drummond, Katherine Viviano
Good Witch – Robin Good: Kathleen Hough
Forest ‘petree” – Jennifer Petree: Caroline Fiss
Wicked Witch – Kelly Drummond: Brie Sandridge
Scarecrow – Craig Whintey: Katie Tampke
Tin Man – Stephen Himes: Elaine Schmidt
Cowardly Lion – Joe Lascala: Molly Kenney
Wizard – Sister Joan: Elizabeth Arensberg

photos by KIRSTY McGHIE

[nggallery id=28]

Cast away

The theme Spirit Club chooses for the pep rally ultimately decides its cast. Although the club typically ‘type casts,’ which is casting someone because their personality fits that character, they prefer to refrain from doing this.

‘We used to have people raise their hands and audition for the part right then and there, but it’s intimidating for freshmen,’ Betsy said. ‘We would really like people to volunteer and would never put pressure on someone, but you have to have some thick skin to play a big part.’

Both Spirit Club officers and members tried to incorporate more underclassmen into main roles in November’s pep rally.

‘I think we did a really good job of integrating fresh faces into this pep rally,’ Kathleen said. ‘New people were able to break out of their shell and be the funniest ones out there.’

Freshman Katie Tampke volunteered for a main role playing the Scarecrow (Mr. Whitney) in the pep rally, despite the fact that she is a new member of the club.

‘Even though I am a freshman, it was easier for me to be a big part because of my sister, Betsy,’ Katie said. ‘I have had three sisters go through STA and I felt like I knew a lot about my part, Mr. Whitney. I felt very comfortable on stage because my first scene was with Betsy.’

Similarly, sophomore Elizabeth Arensberg enjoyed playing a lead role and felt comfortable performing, but would like to see more new people in the pep rallies.

‘Sometimes, I don’t like to volunteer because I would rather give someone who hasn’t been in [a] pep rally a chance,’ Elizabeth said. ‘I don’t mind if I get chosen for a big part because it’s fun and nerve-racking. This pep rally, some of the upperclassmen suggested I play Sister Joan because I’m short and small.’

For this pep rally, the club utilized every activity period, but had to schedule two ‘intense rehearsals’ on the weekend before the performance for extra practice.

‘There is only so much you can do in an hour of activity,’ Betsy said. ‘It was good for the weekend, because we had time to focus.’

Standing ovation

After the pep rally is written, cast and rehearsed, Spirit Club reflects on how they have done. For this pep rally, both Kathleen and Betsy agreed that it was their best STA production.

‘Our ultimate goal is to beat the ‘ËœSaturday Night Live’ pep rally from our freshman year, and I think we came very close to that with this one,’ Betsy said. ‘It was really funny to choose which teacher would fit the specific ‘ËœWizard of Oz’ character. We actually incorporated STA into all of it and people from STA are involved in every part.’