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So this is not totally theatre related but do any of your schools do cool things for outside or inside pep rallies? My theatre group helps plan it and we are looking for fun things to do. Maybe involving faculty? Or student leaders?

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Carolyn Little
High School English Teacher
Toms River Board of Education
Beachwood NJ
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Sent via Higher Logic Mobile

For pep rallies at our school, a favorite of the students (it seems, as they all talk about it for at least a day) is the 'Ugly Pageant', (not sure if that's the right name), but essentially it involves faculty dressing up as gender opposites...e.g. Mr. Steele becomes Mrs. Steele, Ms. Marshall becomes Mr. Marshall, and so on. The men usually go all out in drag and make up. Personally, I think it's an absolute travesty, but it seems to be fun for the faculty, let's the students know the faculty has a sense of fun, radda radda.

Another favorite is the lip sync challenge, in which groups (i.e. theatre troupe, freshman class, senior class council, NHS) choreograph a sequence/lip sync to a popular song. Used to be students would sing with the track, but drama department kept winning, so they made it a lip sync so it was 'fair'. Drama still keeps winning the lip sync, much to the chagrin of the senior class council. (the difference between rehearsing seriously for a piece of fun and not, it seems).

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Phillip Goodchild
Theatre Arts Instructor/Assistant Department Head of English
Hillsborough County Schools
Ruskin FL
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-26-2015 12:34
From: Carolyn Little
Subject: Pep Rally

So this is not totally theatre related but do any of your schools do cool things for outside or inside pep rallies? My theatre group helps plan it and we are looking for fun things to do. Maybe involving faculty? Or student leaders?

-------------------------------------------
Carolyn Little
High School English Teacher
Toms River Board of Education
Beachwood NJ
-------------------------------------------



Sent via Higher Logic Mobile

Something that is enjoyed for us, and collects money, is (basically) a challenge or dare to the admin/faculty of the school. There will be certain "dares" that people agree to and, if enough money is collected, the dares are completed at the pep rally. Some examples were (and sometimes it was brave students who volunteered) shaving the head, waxing the legs (male teacher), pie to the face, intense beauty make-up (male admin), etc. Just light and fun and the money was donated to a specific cause. Everyone had fun ant it helped allow the school as a whole to support a worthwhile cause. 

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Shira Schwartz
Chandler Unified School District
Chandler AZ
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-27-2015 06:13
From: Phillip Goodchild
Subject: Pep Rally

For pep rallies at our school, a favorite of the students (it seems, as they all talk about it for at least a day) is the 'Ugly Pageant', (not sure if that's the right name), but essentially it involves faculty dressing up as gender opposites...e.g. Mr. Steele becomes Mrs. Steele, Ms. Marshall becomes Mr. Marshall, and so on. The men usually go all out in drag and make up. Personally, I think it's an absolute travesty, but it seems to be fun for the faculty, let's the students know the faculty has a sense of fun, radda radda.

Another favorite is the lip sync challenge, in which groups (i.e. theatre troupe, freshman class, senior class council, NHS) choreograph a sequence/lip sync to a popular song. Used to be students would sing with the track, but drama department kept winning, so they made it a lip sync so it was 'fair'. Drama still keeps winning the lip sync, much to the chagrin of the senior class council. (the difference between rehearsing seriously for a piece of fun and not, it seems).

------------------------------
Phillip Goodchild
Theatre Arts Instructor/Assistant Department Head of English
Hillsborough County Schools
Ruskin FL
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 07-26-2015 12:34
From: Carolyn Little
Subject: Pep Rally

So this is not totally theatre related but do any of your schools do cool things for outside or inside pep rallies? My theatre group helps plan it and we are looking for fun things to do. Maybe involving faculty? Or student leaders?

-------------------------------------------
Carolyn Little
High School English Teacher
Toms River Board of Education
Beachwood NJ
-------------------------------------------



Sent via Higher Logic Mobile

I think the students and faculty at our school would take huge issue with the 'Ugly Pageant'. Our kids are very aware of LGBTQ issues, as they impact the students and the world-at-large. Dressing in gender-opposite clothing for the sake of a laugh would be insensitive to the members of the community who might be going through questions of gender/gender expression and sexual identification. I'm surprised that schools would sanction this type of activity, even if it's done in good fun.

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Michael Bergman
Teacher/Director
Alexandria VA
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-27-2015 06:13
From: Phillip Goodchild
Subject: Pep Rally

For pep rallies at our school, a favorite of the students (it seems, as they all talk about it for at least a day) is the 'Ugly Pageant', (not sure if that's the right name), but essentially it involves faculty dressing up as gender opposites...e.g. Mr. Steele becomes Mrs. Steele, Ms. Marshall becomes Mr. Marshall, and so on. The men usually go all out in drag and make up. Personally, I think it's an absolute travesty, but it seems to be fun for the faculty, let's the students know the faculty has a sense of fun, radda radda.

Another favorite is the lip sync challenge, in which groups (i.e. theatre troupe, freshman class, senior class council, NHS) choreograph a sequence/lip sync to a popular song. Used to be students would sing with the track, but drama department kept winning, so they made it a lip sync so it was 'fair'. Drama still keeps winning the lip sync, much to the chagrin of the senior class council. (the difference between rehearsing seriously for a piece of fun and not, it seems).

------------------------------
Phillip Goodchild
Theatre Arts Instructor/Assistant Department Head of English
Hillsborough County Schools
Ruskin FL
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 07-26-2015 12:34
From: Carolyn Little
Subject: Pep Rally

So this is not totally theatre related but do any of your schools do cool things for outside or inside pep rallies? My theatre group helps plan it and we are looking for fun things to do. Maybe involving faculty? Or student leaders?

-------------------------------------------
Carolyn Little
High School English Teacher
Toms River Board of Education
Beachwood NJ
-------------------------------------------



Sent via Higher Logic Mobile

One year my theatre group did a "musical" about the first of school, finding bathrooms, library, commons area, etc.  It was loads of fun, but required a lot of work......

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Debbie Corbin
Drama & Musical director, retired
Spokane MO
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-26-2015 12:34
From: Carolyn Little
Subject: Pep Rally

So this is not totally theatre related but do any of your schools do cool things for outside or inside pep rallies? My theatre group helps plan it and we are looking for fun things to do. Maybe involving faculty? Or student leaders?

-------------------------------------------
Carolyn Little
High School English Teacher
Toms River Board of Education
Beachwood NJ
-------------------------------------------



Sent via Higher Logic Mobile

Our theatre group organized a flash mob for a pep rally and it was a lot of fun. The kids learned the dance in theatre and then every theatre kid taught the ending to 3-5 non-threatening friends and when the song started at the pep rally, it began with the theatre kids and then a lot more kids joined in. It was lots of fun but to keep the element of surprise you can't do it every year. 

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Summer Rickman
Hobbs Municipal Schools
Hobbs NM
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-26-2015 12:34
From: Carolyn Little
Subject: Pep Rally

So this is not totally theatre related but do any of your schools do cool things for outside or inside pep rallies? My theatre group helps plan it and we are looking for fun things to do. Maybe involving faculty? Or student leaders?

-------------------------------------------
Carolyn Little
High School English Teacher
Toms River Board of Education
Beachwood NJ
-------------------------------------------



Sent via Higher Logic Mobile