During tutorial on Aug. 23, about 1,000 students packed into the walls of the Large Gym as the room buzzed in anticipation for the first rally of the year.

The rally began with senior and head Rally Commissioner Bronwen Bowen and seniors Tony Capek and Clark Rothenberg taking center stage dressed in Hawaiian clothing in preparation for the kick-off dance later that evening. But suddenly, the scene shifted as the three seniors traveled back in time to Saratoga High in the ‘70s.

“We were kind of stuck on what theme we would choose,” Capek said. “We had the games pretty much decided and threw out a whole bunch of ideas until finally the group decided on ‘70s theme.”

Before the games began, however, the rally commission put on a group dance that captured the ‘70s theme.

“I probably enjoyed the dance and skit they did at the beginning the most,” sophomore Tyler Yoshihara said. “[In the future, they] just need to keep incorporating students into the rallies and come up with some new games.”

The games started and students competed for class points, now measured by the thermometers at the back of the gym. The seniors won the class chant competition but were defeated by the sophomores when their duo was able to pop a balloon using their chests.

“The rally really brought our class together and allowed us to show school spirit,” senior Patrick Wang said.

The intensity really picked up when the four classes competed in an aggressive version of Steal the Bacon, in which the freshmen came out on top.

During each competition, each class was enthusiastically cheering on their fellow classmates.

“I think [the rally] went well, the energy was really great,” Bowen said. “That's something we want to keep building up throughout the year, along with improving the games.”