A disembodied voice over the loudspeakers counted down to takeoff as the Mavs took their seats in the bleachers, a solid block of black SJS vs. Kinkaid t-shirts.

At 2:00 after a shortened school day, the students of the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools gathered on the bleachers in front of Skip Lee Field for the All-School Pep Rally to watch the drum corps, football team, varsity and JV cheerleaders perform. This year’s space-themed skit involved the traditional act of the football captains being captured by the Falcon, with the varsity cheerleaders riding on a “Maverick Spaceship” truck to save them.

“The skit where they capture the football players is sort of a classic and I’m glad that they still keep up the tradition.” freshman Kate Habich said.

Each group of cheerleaders, middle school, JV and varsity, presented their routines, alongside some classic cheers such as the Boom Pyramid, Mavericks are We, and the Cookie Monster Cheer.

“The cheerleaders are really excited for pep rallies. We’ve been working really hard for a long time.” senior cheerleader Kate Bomar said.

After a short speech by Coach Steve Gleaves, the high-energy finale to the all-school pep rally began. In the classic victory cheer, the Lower, Middle, and Upper School students and the seniors were led by cheerleaders in a competition to prove who could cheer the loudest and show the most spirit.

“My favorite part of the pep rally is the victory cheer because all of the classes get really into it, and I think even the freshmen have it figured out by now, which is exciting,” Bomar said.

The pep rally is one of the few activities attended by all students at St. John’s.

“I think pep rallies are really important because they’re great for building unity and they’re also really fun.” freshman Sean Paul Gras said.

On Friday, Upper School students wore red and black in honor of the upcoming Kinkaid game and the Upper School-only pep rally, which took place in the VST Lowe Theater.

Students filed in to the sounds of a rousing drum number.

“[Drum corps] is a fun way to be involved in the games and get into the school spirit,” sophomore Julia Giordano said.

The Upper School Pep Rally featured an all-new routine by the varsity cheerleaders, as well as the Kinkaid video.

“My favorite part of the Upper School Pep Rally is probably the video, because usually it’s really funny and there’s always something in it you don’t expect.” football captain Richie Lazear said.