At 2 pm on Mar. 13, 2026, hordes of Midlo students made their way to the gym to attend the highly anticipated glow-in-the-dark pep rally, which features the competitive class dance performance. The freshmen dressed in their brightest green, sophomores decked out in neon yellow, juniors in orange, and the seniors adorned with neon pink lights and glowsticks.
The event began with the lights turning off and the bleachers going wild. The first thing on the agenda was the freshman class performing their class dance. Although it was performed without a hitch, that does not mean it was smooth sailing from the beginning.
“The planning of our very first class dance was very hectic because it was hard to get used to everything, but I do believe that everybody has been doing great and pitching in,” Freshman Class Vice President Madison Willis (9) said.
After the freshmen faced boos and sneers from the upperclassmen, all classes participated in a wig-snatching contest. Volunteers from each grade ran around the gym with neon wigs, all attempting to take others’ wigs without dropping their own. The chaotic game ended with the sophomore class reigning victorious and earning pep rally points.
Soon after, the sophomores ran onto the gym floor ready to perform their, less than perfect, class dance. Unfortunately, they ran into many hardships along the way, spanning from volunteers dropping out to disorganized meeting locations. However, that did not stop them from going out, performing the macarena, and having a blast.
“This year was really difficult to plan because a lot of people were making last-minute decisions, and overall, it’s just hard to plan with a lot of uncertain people. But, I am still very proud of my grade,” Sophomore Class Vice President Marshall Bryant (10) said. “The hardest part about planning is making sure everybody is communicating, and creating a dance that is consistent with the theme, and also with everybody’s contributions.”
More games followed, such as box-stacking and Hungry Hungry Hippos where the junior class earned several pep rally points. They then impressed the student body with their well-organized class dance that featured two backflips and a cheer stunt. It is clear that the upperclassmen have more enthusiasm around the class dance, and that is definitely not a coincidence.
“The freshman class this year is pretty enthusiastic, but when we were freshman, man, nobody wanted to go out there and participate. Neither did the sophomores. But as we got to our junior year, we have exceeded the maximum of 25, and people get really excited about it,” Witt Shrader (11), Junior Class President, said.
The last dance of the day was the Class of 2026’s. They certainly outperformed expectations with their complex choreography and school spirit. The dynamic dance ended with senior class president, Mathew Do (12), strutting out of a man-made bridge with the spirit stick, foreshadowing the end of the pep rally.
“Throwing the graduation cap at the end, that big moment with the high school musical song, was definitely my favorite part,” Do said. “I give the credit to my class officers because of the amount of practice, messages sent, coordination, the choreo, the music. It was just such a big amount of work. I am just so impressed and happy with how it turned out.”
The end of the pep rally was like any other: all the class presidents standing in the middle with Dr. Abel as they announce the winners of the coveted spirit stick. Anticipation was high as the junior and senior classes were close in points, but ultimately, the seniors reigned supreme.
“The seniors’ performance was amazing. There was so much hard work put into the dance, with it being our last pep rally, we were going to enjoy it no matter the outcome, but having the win at the end makes it even sweeter,” Mathew Do said.
