Bright lights shined and lively music filled the auditorium as teachers danced across the stage at this year’s Renaissance Rally, Wed. March 6. This celebration of high-performing and most improved students consisted of ASB-led games, a Renaissance video, a reveal of top 20 seniors, and the highly awaited teacher performance.
The annual Renaissance Rally recognizes students who earned a grade point average of 3.0 or above for semester one, or have improved their GPA by .5. The top 20 seniors are also rewarded with recognition for their academic excellence throughout their high school career.
Behind the large blue curtains of the Buena theater, ASB’s Rally and Student Recognition committees were coordinating the entire event. Leading up to the day, these students came up with game ideas, edited videos, and created a schedule to make certain that the rally would go smoothly. MC’s junior Kimberly Chavarria and sophomore Nicolas Faught led the fun.
“Planning for this event started months in advance because it’s a process that requires full preparation from all people involved,” Faught said. “The best parts of the rally were the games and the teacher dance because people seemed really engaged.”
To open the rally, ASB hosted two games. In the first, students had to swing a ball roped to their head to knock down a tower of solo cups. In the second, students had to shake ping pong balls out of tissue boxes, tied around their waists.
“Everyone is capable of making Renaissance…[it is] something that can open a lot of doors for students in the future.”
— Miles Abbott
Following the games, a video explaining the importance of making Renaissance and giving motivation to the students who needed it was played. Teachers inspired many by talking about the pride they have in their students, and the endless possibilities that every bulldog has. Sophomore Miles Abbott created this video to change the fixed mindset that many students have toward Renaissance.
“Everyone is capable of making Renaissance and I wanted to give that impression through my video,” Abbott said. “Making Renaissance is something that can open a lot of doors for students in the future.”
After the video, the top 20 seniors of the class of 2024 were called to the stage, one by one. With friends and family watching, the extraordinary students were celebrated.
“No matter what background or hardships you come through with, you will always have your staff and faculty to help you. Being outgoing is another factor of how I get to appreciate my teachers and receive extra guidance,” senior Alyssa Askar said about her journey to become one of the top 20 seniors. Askar says the rally went smoothly and she was impressed by ASB.
Students were organized into platinum, gold, silver, and bronze based on their GPA tiers. A slideshow displayed each student’s name, as friends cheered for their excellent scholars.
Freshman Mia Valdez was looking forward to her first Renaissance rally, but added that lots of her peers anticipated the rally to be boring. At the end of the rally, students left smiling after having their expectations succeeded.
“It was definitely very entertaining with the games, teacher dance, and recognition of students who made Renaissance,” Valdez said. “I felt celebrated at the rally and from what I could see, so did everyone else.”
To conclude the rally, the famous teacher dance was performed and succeeded in wowing the crowd. Buena teachers Claire Rowley and Melynda Atkins recruited teachers to participate in the dance and selected the theme: Performances throughout the decades. Practice began in January for this tradition that’s been at Buena since 2009.
“It’s a treat to see your teacher go from spewing facts about math to being silly up on stage,” Rowley said. “Students put in effort to make Renaissance, so this is our gift to them.”
