No one does spirit like the rock does spirit! And that’s not limited to the green and grey kind. Sometimes, that spirit comes in purple and orange. Since the start of Halloween season, the juniors and seniors prepared intensely for the annual Halloween Skit! For those who are unaware of this eagle tradition, on the day before (or on) Halloween, the juniors and the seniors compete against each other in a skit inspired by an iconic Halloween movie on the quad during lunch. The skit consists of a dance number, or even a few, and some segments of acting. It’s entirely student led! From the choreography to the props and costumes, the wondrous students at the Rock unite to show their class spirit.
Last year, the seniors participated in their first year of this festivity; their theme being derived from the movie Coraline. However, they’ve decided to spook up their skit this time around, taking inspiration from iconic halloween villains from the movies Halloween and Friday the 13th. They decided on this theme, “Jason vs Michael,” skit commissioners Zachary Gonzalez and Jevin Vo told me.
“There’s much more involvement this year.” Senior sponsor/magnet coordinator Mr. Cohen tells me. Mr. Cohen has watched the Class of ‘24 transform from their first day of high school to now, as he’s been their class sponsor since their freshman year. He continues with the excitement that was surrounding the skit; “when we announced the Halloween skit meeting, it filled two rooms -- two rooms were full of kids wanting to participate.”
From last year to this year, the number of students participating in skit almost tripled.
Cohen presumed “... it has more to do with the fact that they’re seniors, and they feel the urgency: the finality of it all”. And this finality, Cohen describes as “bittersweet.” He’s enjoyed working closely with the class officers, he describes the sentiment as “happy because it’s a lot of work, but I’m also sad because it means one more [event] closer until it’s over.”
I spoke with the seniors throughout their practice, and the one word I continuously heard from them was “fun”. Morgan Eun tells me, “Maybe because it’s senior year, but everyone is a lot more open.” Morgan, who plays Jason in the skit, shares her adoration for the event. “I really like the skit people, they’re good people.” In terms of technicality, Morgan comments on the storyline being more concrete than it was last year, praising the improvement of the more dance numbers and characterization: “Overall, it’s a lot better.”
Though the improvement wasn’t visible for all seniors, as for some, this was their first. Bela Arraga tells me, “It’s my first skit, my one and only.”. When asked to describe the scenery of practices, she simply states “hectic.” With the differences in seniors, it’s for some, a whole new thing. This doesn’t stop her, and others, from enjoying the time they spend together. “It’s all good memories. I’m having a lot of fun.”
For their first year of skit, they’ve sure got passion. The juniors worked closely together to coordinate what would be their first of two skits. Their skit commissioner, Maddie Aguimatang, tells me they took a lot of time to consider what their first appearance would be. The juniors theme this year is derived from the movie, “Scary Movie”.
Throughout the practices and set-up, the juniors learned that this event requires some incredible collaboration skills. Junior co-president, Willow Ryu-Whitney, describes the preparation as “a lot of collaboration.” She follows, “We’ve gotta make sure we get the backdrops completed in time, and Sammie is leading that and choreographing, and Maddie is our commissioner as well.”
When I asked choreographer Sammie Legaspi about how she feels about the skit, I got in response, “I’m totally doing this again. I’m so excited for this year and next year I’m going to spend it having fun with everyone.” Two members of the skit, Emma Renfro and Emely Ramirez, both describe it as a “fun friend activity.” Renfro tells me, “There’s people I have known for a while, and I’m able to talk to them by doing skit. I’m socializing with more people.”
Choreographer Leanne Garion walked me through a day in practice; “We gather everyone around and since the other choreographers are my friends. We discuss beforehand to decide what needs to be done for the practice and during practice we see what they [members] need and we help them with that since we know not everyone is a dancer.” This type of consideration is what the juniors feel helped them come together as a class.
Juniors performing their skit
Seniors performing their skit
Both the juniors and seniors worked hard, and evident it was. Ultimately, we can only have one winner. The ‘23-’24 skit winner is none other than the SENIORS! Congratulations to the class of 2024 for working hard and showcasing a spectacular performance.
Go Mar!! :D Great article.