As spring drew nearer, the students of Lewis-Palmer High School prepared for new athletic seasons. In preparation, the entire student body gathered in the decorated gymnasium for another sports assembly.

Senior Addison Britton kicked off the event by singing the national anthem for those gathered.

“It was absolutely nerve-wracking. I have never sung a solo in front of that many people before. I was shaking and freezing cold and so, so sure that I was going to mess up. Luckily, all of my friends are amazingly supportive and calmed me down before I went out,” Britton remarked.

Coach Dustin Tupper then rallied the crowd and got everyone on their feet with his yell practice. Yell practice is designed to be a cheer that unites the crowd at sporting events, intimidating the other teams. The yell has 3 stages: quiet, louder, and screaming. It then comes to an abrupt end with flexed muscles and a shout.

Riding on the high energy, Korrena De and Aaron Miller, teachers at Lewis-Palmer, entered the room in inflatable sumo wrestler costumes. It was a close match between the two, but De came out on top.

The assembly then returned to its original purpose: spring sports. The team captains for boys’ lacrosse, girls’ golf, girls’ lacrosse, track and field, baseball, girls’ soccer, boys’ swimming, and girls’ tennis all came down to the court for a little public shaming. They were asked questions such as “Why do golfers wear two pairs of socks?” The answer, of course, being “In case they get a hole in one.”

Once the teams had been sufficiently introduced, Ryan Hunt, 12, student body president, brought out representatives from four clubs at Lewis-Palmer: Gamers Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Drama Club, and Rowdy Rangers. Those teams then fought valiantly over a bunch of balloons in a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos. Rowdy Rangers took home the prize of $100 after collecting 15 balloons, beating out Drama Club by only two balloons.

Carrie Coates and Kendra Boone, also teachers, then entered the sumo ring for round two of teacher wrestling. Boone came out the victor in this round, advancing to the final round.

Student Council then announced a giveaway to the first three people to like a photo posted on Instagram. All three winners were underclassmen.

Following the social media portion of the afternoon, Hunt circled the gym, upholding the long-standing tradition of informing the classes what they know. Freshman do not know that they do not know. Sophomores know that they do not know. Juniors do not know that they know. Seniors know that they know. Hunt also informed the classes how long they have left of high school. Freshman received their amount in seconds, sophomores in minutes, juniors in hours, and seniors in days.

The student body then welcomed juniors Katie Miller and Sydney Prichard down to the center of the gym to give their speeches. Both girls were running for Student Body President. The ladies gave compelling speeches, but Miller was the crowd favorite, as shown by her winning the position.

Awards were given to Coach Susan Odenbaugh, an English teacher at LPHS, for winning Coach of the State, Mariah Evans for winning Player of the Year, and Nicole Montgomery for winning 2015 Track Player of the Year. Following that, De and Boone entered the gym for their final show down. It was an intense battle that ended with deflated suits, but De came out the champion of the teacher sumo wrestling matches, much to the crowd’s pleasure and cheers.

Closing out the assembly, the students participated in one last tradition: clapping the seniors out. Much to the dismay of many seniors, this will be the last assembly they will ever have that the traditions will be upheld; the excellence assembly is the final one of the year, but the traditions are not enacted due to the presence of parents and the respectful manner of the gathering.

“Being clapped out was so neat, but it was kind of a perfect ending at the same time. It made me think about how people will clap for us at graduation,” Britton stated.

Overall, it was an assembly that really tried to engage the students. With Tupper’s yell practice, teacher sumo wrestling, and the traditions of the schools, it was well received by the crowd and a great last “fun” assembly.