CHARLOTTE, NC — Students in Richmond County are fired up over their school’s new pep rally rules that prevent them from cheering, yelling, or getting hyped at school rallies.
A video posted on YouTube shows students sitting on the bleachers, not cheering, yelling, or waving their arms during Friday’s Homecoming pep-rally. Students say they didn’t want to hold back their school spirit but they were told they weren’t allowed to celebrate.
“We just sat there like zombies on Walking Dead; we just sat there and did nothing,” says Breanna Everett, a Senior at Richmond Sr. High School.
Everett says they were told by school administrators that they couldn’t clap, wave their arms, cheer, or chant during their pep rally. If so, they would get punished by having to go to detention or Saturday school.
Jennifer Michelle, a 1991 Richmond Sr. High grad says it was the most somber pep rally she has ever been to. “I was like, this is NOT a pep rally… this is crazy!”
Michelle says the disappointing rally was an experience the students were robbed of, especially for the seniors. She says when she first heard about the rules, she thought the students were overreacting. But when she witnessed the somber event with her own eyes, she got fired up.
Michelle recorded nearly 30 seconds of the rally on her phone and posted it to YouTube. It received over 3,500 views in 3 days. She says she put it online hoping to get answers.
“I wanted to know from the principal why the pep was the way that it was,” says Michelle.
Studenst say they fear that if they speak up and push for change, they’ll get into trouble.
“They might threaten to take Homecoming away from the class after us and I wouldn’t want that to happen,” says Everett.
Everett says instances like this make her even more eager for graduation, a sad realization, she says, is hard since she wants to enjoy her senior year.
WCCB reached out to school officials for comment, but have not heard back.
