Every Friday morning before school, teachers force us to break up our breakfast circles in the locker bays to partake in the new pep rallies. At first, these were actually pep rallies: singing the school song, chanting your class year at the top of your lungs, and getting all pumped up for the game that night. Then, the mood took a shift.

Suddenly, we were getting life lessons. As if it wasn’t bad enough having to be “pepped up” so bright and early, now we have to be inspired? It started with a simple request: push in your chairs in the morning and after lunch. Little did we know, teachers and administrators were spending portions of their prep hour rearranging the lunchroom back to its normal state after we dragged chairs all over the place and messed it all up to sit with our friends.

It seemed like a petty thing to ask of high schoolers, but it sparked a deeper meaning than just pushing in chairs. We, as high school kids, should treat things with a lot more respect. That is the message principal Mr. Trebley is trying to get across.

  How often do you thank a lunch lady after she hands you a plate full of food she and her co workers have been working on all afternoon? Yeah, I get it. They get paid for it, right? That’s definitely true, but if they didn’t take that job, who would make the food? No one. Take a second to appreciate them.

Ever watched someone’s entire notebook explode during a passing period? Next time you see that, help them pick it up. If you have ever done that, you know what it’s like to not only worry about your homework getting stepped on, but you’re also worried about yourself  getting stepped on.

The little things mean big things. Pick up your own trash. Hold the door for a mom with a baby, two bags, and a toddler trotting behind. Hold the door for anyone, for that matter. Stick up for the kid getting bullied. If you believe in bad karma, try believing in good karma. What goes around, comes around. Doing good for others catches up to you eventually, right?

These little pep sessions teach us other things. “It really teaches us dedication to our schools,” said junior Braden Abbott. “I didn’t know the school song until now,” added Jason Sterrett, junior.

With learning the school song, getting pumped up for the game, and learning a little respect in the process, the pep sessions do a lot. So as the holiday season officially ends, keep that warm, respectful feeling in your hearts and keep giving, keep feeling thankful, and keep giving thanks.