Despite uncertainties earlier this week about what Rider vs. Old High would entail amid coronavirus concerns, the Mum Day pep rally is still on. However, the traditional pep rally experience will be different this year in order to accommodate safety protocols. 

Staff members have been scrambling to adjust to a virtual pep rally format since the rivalry football game was moved up a month. 

Boys soccer coach Dustin Holly along with staff members Alisha Crouch, Angie Weiss, Tiada Radtke, James Studer and others, have been working around the clock to ensure the video was ready for students to view on Friday. 

“It seems like every period and hour we are doing something, trying to get ready for Friday,” Holly said. “Usually we had two to three weeks to plan this, now we have two or three days.”

The result will be a 22-minute video shown at the end of eighth period. The pep rally will include footage from cheer, Raiderettes, band, JROTC, football and recent Rider alumni. Those who don’t have an eighth period can come to the auditorium and watch it there. 

Weiss, the first-year Raiderettes and cheer coach,  is embracing the challenges that come with organizing a pep rally during rivalry week amid a pandemic, saying “the show must go on.”

“I think it is a really creative opportunity for everyone to still showcase all the hard work they’ve been doing throughout the being of the school year,” she said. “I hope our student body enjoys what we have to showcase.”

When students tune into the virtual pep rally during their eighth period class, they’ll still witness annual traditions, such as the ringing of the victory bell, on a screen. While the online format is certainly not ideal, it serves as yet another reminder of the power of Raider Pride to unite the community on-campus during these unprecedented times.

“With everything getting pushed up it’s been a crazy few days,” Holly said. “We´ll pull it off because Rider always does.”