A common belief among RHS students is that the school lacks a strong showing of school pride. But this belief has been countered recently as the Rhinebeck student body has come together more often in shows of unity.

A very successful example of this was the Rhinebeck Hawks Rally (otherwise known as the pep or spirit rally) that occurred on February 2nd. On this particular Thursday afternoon in the high school gym, students engaged in playfully competitive activities to rack up points for their grades.

These events included frenetic relay racing, a competitive teacher volleyball game, and a particularly energetic round of musical chairs. While the seniors finished victorious with 26 points, all grades showed great spirit in a variety of ways including cheers measured at over 110 decibels.

This spirit rally didn’t just materialize though. The event was achieved with extensive planning carried out by the Student Council, aided by student council advisor Principal Davenport, and valuable input from Superintendent Cousins.

Like many school initiatives, the spirit rally arose from years of student advocacy. Because a pep rally like the one in February had not been put on in about 5 years, there were numerous ideas on how to renew and modernize the longstanding high school tradition.

Previously in 2019, there was movement among students advocating for a pep-rally but it ultimately materialized into a smaller scale community bonding event. At that time, peer leadership excerpt, David Levine, guided the student council on what a potential event could look like.

This year, Superintendent Cousins shared a pep rally format from his former high school at a student council meeting. He outlined an idea for inter-grade level competitive events combined with teacher vs. teacher games. The Student Council then built off of these ideas when creating their own event schedule.

“In all cases, friendly competition around creative relays/activities is an opportunity to really think outside the box and bring students together”, Superintendent Cousins noted when asked what makes the format successful.

Principal Davenport emphasized the Student Council’s hands-on role in planning when asked about positive outcomes from the event.
“The front and center role of students in proposing, designing, and implementing was wonderful.

He added that the “overwhelming majority of RHS students really enjoyed the experience and had fun.”

There has been some debate over whether to use the traditional term “pep rally” or the Rhinebeck-specific term “hawk rally” when referring to the spirit event.

Principal Davenport prefers to call the event a hawk rally as a way to modernize and personalize the event for our school. He explained that the student body made this event their own and removed the more traditionalist pep rally emphasis on sports. Instead the the event was centered around the school community joining together to make for a fun experience.
Regardless of the title, it is clear that the Rhinebeck student body would like to see this recently renewed tradition continue for years to come. Hopefully, this spirit rally can be improved and expanded upon with new ideas from future students.
Student Council Secretary, Greta LeHane shared some ideas for what the the pep rally could become in the future.

“I wonder if it would be possible to have the teachers and faculty compete and participate in some of the other games to score points of their own,”said

Ultimately spirit rallies play an important role in creating a positive and vibrant school culture. By fostering a sense of community and bringing students, faculty, and staff together, these events can help to promote school pride and encourage students to get out of their comfort zone to be cheered on by their peers.

Whether through poster designing, volleyball games, or enthusiastic cheers, spirit rallies have something to offer for every type of student. This uniting power creates lasting memories that stay long after graduation.

A common belief among RHS students is that the school lacks a strong showing of school pride. But this belief has been challenged by recent displays of unity.

A very successful example of this unity was the Rhinebeck Hawks Rally (otherwise known as the pep or spirit rally) that occurred on February 2nd. Students engaged in playfully competitive activities to rack up points for their grades.

These events included frenetic relay racing, a competitive teacher volleyball game, and a particularly energetic round of musical chairs. While the seniors finished victorious with 26 points, all grades showed great spirit in a variety of ways including cheers measured at over 110 decibels.

This spirit rally didn’t just materialize though. The event was achieved with extensive planning by the Student Council, their advisor Principal Davenport, and valuable input from Superintendent Cousins.

Like many school initiatives, the spirit rally arose from years of student advocacy. Because a pep rally like the one in February was the first of its kind for over 5 years, there were many ideas on how to renew and modernize the format.

In 2019, students advocated for a pep-rally, but it ultimately materialized into smaller scale events. At that time, peer leadership expert, David Levine of the Teaching Empathy Institute, guided the student council in designing Hawk Day.

This year, Superintendent Cousins shared a pep rally format from his former high school at a student council meeting. He outlined an idea for inter-grade level competitive events combined with teacher vs. teacher games. The Student Council then built off of these ideas when creating their own event schedule.

“In all cases, friendly competition around creative relays/activities is an opportunity to really think outside the box and bring students together,” said Superintendent Cousins.

Davenport emphasized the Student Council’s hands-on role in planning when asked about positive outcomes from the event.

“The front and center role of students in proposing, designing, and implementing was wonderful.”

He added that the “overwhelming majority of RHS students really enjoyed the experience and had fun.”

Davenport prefers to call the event a “hawk rally” as a way to personalize the event for our school. He explained that the student body made this event their own and removed the more traditional pep rally emphasis on sports.

Regardless of the title, it is clear that the student body would like to see this recently renewed tradition continue for years to come. Hopefully, this spirit rally can be improved and expanded upon with new ideas from future students.

“I wonder if it would be possible in future to have the faculty compete in some of the other games to score points of their own,” said senior Greta LeHane.

Whether through designing posters, volleyball games, or enthusiastic cheers, spirit rallies have something for every type of student. This uniting power creates memories that stay long after graduation.