NDB held its first rally of the school year on August 20. It was the first in-person spirit point event for  the underclassmen. For the senior and junior class, rallies are a school tradition. The Spartans and Wildcats know what it is like to cheer for their sister class, to put their heart into the school chants.

But for sophomores and the freshman on campus, rallies are a thing of legend.

Rallies can be overwhelming for a newcomer, but soon enough they become an integral part of the NDB experience. Dressing up with the class shirt, tutu, makeup and all sorts of creative accessories is just one part of the fun.

“I dressed up and I definitely felt very spirited,” freshman Morgan Worry said. “I was wearing my purple shirt and then it was kind of fun, getting ready in our homeroom. We all had face paint and necklaces and everything.”

This rally was won by the seniors, who received 40 spirit points and won 2 out of the 3 games. Next came the juniors with 30 points, the freshmen with 20, and the sophomores with 10.

Spirit points are also an integral part of the fun and of NDB’s sisterhood. Each can win spirit points based on their performance and enthusiasm in rally competitions and cheers. At the end of the year, a class is crowned the spirit champions. Usually, the winner is the senior class. However, on rare occasions, another class will beat them. This creates just the right amount of competition between the classes.

“I think we got a little fire under us now that we’re seniors,” NDB senior Sage Saperstein said. “We kind of lost a year, so I think we kind of came back, you know, ready to go out there.”