On Friday, April 17, the dramatic darkness of Ayala’s gym was interrupted by the faint luminance of neon-colored glow-in-the-dark sticks, crackling amongst the student bleachers. They shone alongside the strobe and fairy lights to softly illuminate the lavishly decorated room, and as the hum of students entering only grew louder, the blackout Batman Rally commenced.
As the fourth and final rally of the year, students anticipating the final stretch before summer took this welcome break from academics with stride. The energy was palpable throughout the room, indicating early the event’s success.
“When it comes to rallies, the students are gonna get out of it what they put into it,” Randy Reams, the Activities Director and United Student Body (USB) Advisor. “It is all about promoting the students and the positive things that they’re doing on campus.”
As the underclassmen and Juniors slowly stopped filing in, the first festivity began as the seniors were welcomed in for their last Ayala rally.
“From the start of [the rally] the senior tribute was really effective because students were met with an immersive experience between the glow-in-the-dark room as well as the nostalgic songs welcoming them in,” the United Council Chairperson (UCC) Ava Park (10) said. “On the sides, there were their lifelong mentors and teachers supporting them along the way.”
A truly admirable aspect of the rally was the dedication of the decorations. Each class had posters centered around a different version of Batman, and the centerpiece banner beautifully added the final flourish. A new addition to the ornaments this time around was the massive, hand-made Batmobile featured on the rally floor.
“We wanted a physical object that could represent our message spread through Batman, and it was just so inventive,” Sophomore Cayo Widjaja, a USB student, said. “Ian Chen did most of it, working hard and using leftover cardboard to make a Batmobile. That’s tough.”
The students spotlighted for this rally were the top ten students of each grade level, Mrs. Campbell’s homeroom class, which won the spirit competition of the year, and the club of the year, Model United Nations (MUN). Banner raising for boys cross country, girls golf, and boys basketball.
“For all rallies, we definitely try to get school involvement from many different aspects, attempting to represent as many programs as possible,” Reams said.
The rally was a prime example of the supportive community that Ayala fostered, which was only bolstered by the sentimentality that comes towards the end of a school year.
“I appreciated how the students got up and cheered on their classmates throughout the rally,” Reams said. “Whether it was the class competitions, the ASL performance, or the banner raising, we felt so much support and love from the students. I think that’s the biggest takeaway that I have from this rally, is that the students really seemed to be involved and the energy level was high.”
Per tradition, the Bulldog Spellouts marked the end of the event, with the Sophomores cementing their dominance by officially winning every rally this year. This time, possessing a special note of wistfulness for seniors saying goodbye, the conclusion to the rally was a passionate farewell.
“The sophomore class had another amazing win for the Bulldog Spellout,” Charles Kam, Junior Class President, said. “These competitions are really good ways to express each class’s spirit and represent themselves as a collective in front of the whole school.”
Marking the beginning of the end, the Batman rally was an animated event that showcased the excellence of Ayala.
“It was another successful rally for the books,” Madelyn Araki (10), the Finance Director, said.
