Pep rally gets Pleasant Valley ready for PSSAs

Pleasant Valley Intermediate School got its students amped up for education with a PSSA pep rally on Friday.

“I started this about six years ago. It was an idea we came up with, a little something extra to really get the students motivated and to get the whole district behind us,” dean of students Kelli George said.

The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment encompasses a series of exams for students in grades three through eight, covering English and math. The scores provide a glimpse of student performance for educators and other school officials, and help to ensure that federal and state education requirements are met.

It’s a stressful time for students, teachers and administrators, so for the last few years, PVI has held the pep rally to help get everyone in the right frame of mind.

“The whole idea of a homecoming pep rally is pump everyone up, get everyone excited and ready to go. That’s what this is all about, except it’s about the PSSAs, which are huge for us,” George said.

Friday’s rally featured music by the PVI and high school bands, as well as routines by the high school cheerleading squad.

Students from both schools addressed the crowd to assuage concerns surrounding upcoming tests and to encourage fellow students to try their best.

“If we want to be the top school, we need to give it our all,” PVI student Shaylee Kimmick said.

Drama Club members put together a skit featuring students venting their worries about the test, such as competing against other students, and helping them to understand that the most important thing is to try their very best.

Assistant Principal Brian Faust said that the rally also helps to present the students with a sense of camaraderie.

“They get to have a little fun today, but the main point is to get them thinking about the PSSAs, and to let them know that the school is behind them, especially the teachers, the staff and the high school students,” Brian Faust said.

Of course, with the rally capping off Assistant School Principal Week, Faust was subject to a little spectacle where he performed a little routine along with the cheerleaders.

Though apprehensive, the crowd cheered him on and encouraged him.

With the band blaring away and the cheerleaders pumping the crowd up, it was easy to see that the students in the crowd were far more confident about the upcoming exams.

“Everyone was really excited,” George said.

“Our fourth graders, it’s their first time seeing it. Our fifth- and sixth- graders have seen it in the past. They’re all very excited about it. It’s a day when everyone wants to be here.”