Montera’s Fall Sports Pep Rally that took place on Nov. 1, 2024 at Montera Middle School showcased our amazing Toro teams. Our fall sport team line up includes: girls varsity volleyball (black and yellow), girls junior varsity volleyball, girls flag football, boys flag football, girls futsal, and cross country.
The coordinator of the pep rally was Ms. Whitney Ligons, 6th grade physical education teacher and basketball coach. Ms.Ligons started coaching at 18 for community service hours and has been coaching since then.
Others who helped with the pep rally include: Mr. Samuel Cooper (cross country coach and Dean), Mr. Martin Price (soccer coach and athletic director), Mx.J (SYL and 8th grade history teacher), Mr. Thomas Demerath (8th grade special education teacher), Black Girls Brilliance (BGB), Strong Young Leaders (SYL), and African American Male Achievement (AAMA).
Ms. Ligons tries to organize events by the seasonal sports and a time on the school calendar that avoids conflict. Mr. D was the 7th and 8th grade MC and announced all of the teams. Before an MC gig he likes to get excited. Mr.Pettengil was the 6th grade MC.
Mr. Price, our new athletic director and Montera’s soccer coach, played soccer as a youth and enjoyed teaching kids. He got into athletic directing because the school needed his help and he stepped up. Mr. Cooper (Montera’s cross country coach) said that he enjoys running and thought being the cross country coach would be a good way to get to know kids better.
By conducting some school polling I got a feel of what people thought would be popular teams at the pep rally. Girls flag football had 4 votes ,girls volleyball with 4,cross country with 3, boys flag football with 1, and girls futsal with 3. Staff showed how eager they were to see the pep rally. Ms.Rogers (Montera’s Librarian) said she was “totally excited”, Ms.Recco (7th and 8th grade art teacher) said she was “pretty stoked”, and Ms. Rannahan (6th and 7th grade math teacher) said she was “pretty excited”.
As the pep rally began you could hear lots of excited yelling. As the athletes ran out everybody sitting closer to them were able to hit their hands. As the students got excited to see the teams it was a bit of a different story behind the scenes. 7th grade SYL students Zoe Ludwick and Audrey Gonzales stated that it was pretty chaotic to get the students organized and stay in a straight line, especially straight especially the boys flag football team.
Overall school events like these show our support for one another. By promoting our Toro spirit it showcases our school pride. All of Montera will definitely be ready for another Toro rally soon to come.
