Friday, October 20th, 2023, was a big day on campus for Corona del Mar High School, as later that night would be their annual Battle of the Bay football game against local rivals Newport Harbor. The CdM Sea Kings and Queens were determined to keep their ten-year winning streak going while Newport Harbor was rooting for their first win in a decade. This year’s Star Wars themed rally was another iteration of ASB’s yearly pre-game rally to show that the “force is strong with CdM” (Madison Mann, Trident TV). ASB member Michelle Nguyen mentioned that she “loved how the rally turned out. The holiday rally in general is always [her] favorite, but this rally was so fun to watch.” The rally introduced all of the ASB members who worked hard on this event and featured appearances by performance groups from throughout the school, including CdMHS’s Pep Squad, Spirit Team, Drumline, Triads, and Orchesis.

Kicking off the rally was the Pep Squad with high-energy stunts and sparkling pom-poms that set the stage for the upcoming spirited performances, followed by CdMHS’s Spirit Team formerly known as Sparkle (Pep Squad members and special needs students) dressed as young Jedis; their performance was accompanied by light wands that lit up the gym. Continuing the Star Wars theme was Drumline, who came in playing the Star Wars anthem, crown favorite as many audience members tapped their feet or hummed to the beat. Triads sang “Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks and received loud cheers after their performance. A new addition to the rally’s itinerary, a scavenger hunt game took place to increase crowd participation even further. Performers, ASB, and audience members were brought to the middle of the gym with chairs and were asked to find specific items back from the crowd. The group was asked to acquire a dollar bill, water bottle, hair tie and several other knick knacks but in the end, an audience member won by being the first to acquire a shoelace from someone who was said to have “ripped it off” of their shoe. Finally, Orchesis closed out the set dressed in Star Wars outfits as the crowd cheered to the beats of their dance music. Senior Sabrina Baker thought that,”Orchesis had a great performance, you can tell they put so much time and effort into practices and always perform with high energy and intensity.”

Compared to past years’ Battle of the Bay rallies, this assembly was different though several integral parts remained like the returning performing groups and ASB introduction. Nguyen shares “it was so cool to be recognized through an introduction, and honestly amazing to see different groups on campus like Choir, Orchesis, Cheer, Drumline, and CdM Spirit work together to put on a good performance.” Unlike past years, ASB didn’t  keep to a traditional BOTB themed rally and the Star Wars spin was expected to add a factor that was refreshing to see.