Mar. 4, 2026, the annual Renaissance Rally occurred, an annual tradition that many students look forward to. Students are recognized for academic achievement, along with games and the long-waited Renaissance Rally staff performance. With senior Mia Martinez and junior Ryan Armenta hosting the rally in the auditorium, ASB worked hard to put together this rally with its “Bulldogs Pride” theme.

Starting off the celebration, Buena’s dance team performed an exhilarating performance showing off their amazing skills. Dancing to songs like “M.I.A” by Katseye, “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga and “7/11” by Beyonce. The Bulldog crowd applauded the team’s weeks of effort.

Pizza box balancing was next, consisting of about 15 students, attempting to balance their own box while trying to sabotage others to be the last one standing to have the chance to win LEGOs, a Stanley cup or a Polaroid camera.

Following the game, the highlight of the rally commenced as students were acknowledged for their academic achievements during semester one. This part of the program started off with an inspirational message from principal Dr. Audrey Asplund, highlighting her pride for Buena students.

The recognition started with Blue ( a GPA jump of 0.5 more), Silver (GPA with 3.0- 3.4), Gold (GPA 3.5-3.9) and Platinum (GPA 4.0+). A list of names in each category from all grade levels were projected for the audience to view as every person was recognized for their academic achievement.

“[With the] Renaissance [Rally], the kids [listed] doubled to get better GPAs, so I think there’s a little bit of an improvement in kids because they want to [have their names be] displayed on the screen,” sophomore Kota Patton said.

Following this, the class of 2026’s top 20 seniors were showcased. These students had the highest cumulative GPA out of their whole graduating class from all four years. Receiving flowers and a certificate to commemorate their amazing achievements.

Top 20 senior Mia Martinez has learned many things from her four years at Buena and is ready to pass that knowledge on to future classes.

“As a freshman, work hard and [know] it’s possible to maintain a work balance, if you really believe it for yourself, follow the plan, not your mood…That’s how I got to the top 20,” Martinez said.

After the ceremony, the light dimmed to feature students’ favorite part: the staff dance. Many of Buena’s staff members participated in a dance routine that had all of those in the crowd erupting in laughter, cheers, and claps.

This year, many teachers joined like French teacher Melynda Atkins, and campus supervisor Lacey Cardenas as the back-up dancers, dancing their hearts away the whole time while a series of featured staff embraced their appreciation for their students with their choreographed routine.

Many of Buena’s teachers had made an appearance on the stage creating a touch of bond to the students that the staff was proud of.

Assistant principals Tiffany Dyer, Derek Rusk and even the School Resource Officer Matt Thompson made a few appearances on stage as well.

Although there wasn’t enough time for Rally A, Rally B got to play one last game to end the rally. The top 20 seniors played against one another, getting split between team one and team two. The game simulated the iconic TV show Family Feud, hosted by senior Jacob Del Rio portraying the famous celebrity Steve Harvey. Players were quizzed on school related questions, and team two won to finish off the Renaissance Rally.

Students were thankful to ASB for putting together the rally. Even fellow ASB members appreciate the efforts of everyone involved.

“I want to give credit to [Martinez] and everybody else in the committee, because I think they did a really great job… I was able to emcee with [Martinez], and it was [an amazing experience],” Armenta said.