Class of 2024 Senior Soccer players rehearse for Pep Rally.
By Grace LaPlaca ’25
Music and school spirit shake the walls of Colony Hall each year during the Deerfield Day Pep Rally. The Pep Rally cultivates school spirit and allows athletic teams to demonstrative their creative sides through performances, featuring varsity athletic teams lip-syncing, dancing, and acting.
This year, Girls’ Varsity Volleyball lip-synced to “I’ve Got the Magic in Me” by the Treblemakers (from the movie Pitch Perfect). The performance featured six soloists while the rest of the team contributed as backup dancers. Dance Company Co-President Marissa Jacobs ’24 assisted the team in choreographing a dance routine. “She helped us immensely,” said Co-Captain Em DeGrand ’24.
Although the team only began rehearsing in the last week of October, DeGrand was confident in their ability to perform. “We picked it up pretty fast, so we didn’t have to do much preparing,” she said. “We’re just that good.”
Choreographed by Libby Dai ’25 and Nao Murata ’25, Boys’ Varsity Soccer executed a dance routine to “SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake, “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction, and “Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift. Both Dai and Murata are Dance Company choreographers. Reflecting on the different experience of instructing a team of relatively inexperienced dancers, Dai said, “You really have to change up your vocabulary.”
The two dancers worked collaboratively with the team to achieve their vision. “Shoutout to Juliano [Masella ’26],” Murata said. “He brought up a lot of good ideas and energy.”
In addition to the rewarding nature of putting a performance together, the experience has brought the Boys’ Varsity Soccer team closer. “It’s a very good way to connect with your team even more,” Kevin Paladines ’25 said. “It also amps up the rivalry between Deerfield and Choate.”
After multiple rehearsals and lots of hard work, the team was inspired to match their performance from last fall. “I thought last year we had one of the best performances,” Lukas Parapatt ’24 said. “I’m hoping that this year, we can replicate that success.”
All of the performances at Pep Rally were put on by varsity sports, with one exception — Senior Soccer, who performed “Best I Ever Had” by Drake. “I would like to thank Amanda Benneh ’24 for arranging the dance,” Danny Yoon ’24 said. “She tried to simplify a lot of dance moves so that the whole team can follow the dance easily in a short amount of time.”
As Co-Captain of Step Squad, Benneh shared her expertise with the team. Although finding time to rehearse was a struggle amidst college applications, the team was excited to close out the season with their performance.
Boys’ Cross Country elected to share a video instead of performing live. Co-Captains John Reach ’24 and Luciano Morizio ’24 produced a video consisting of photos from the season and accounts of why team members enjoy running.
Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey’s performance was a dance routine to both “It’s a Hard Knock Life” from the musical Annie and “Boy’s a Liar” by PinkPantheress and Ice Spice. The songs were intentionally paired together because both Annie and Ice Spice have ginger hair. To emphasize this connection, Ellie Silva ’26 wore a ginger wig.
Co-Captain Sophia Berdon ’24, who is also a member of Hip Hop Club, choreographed the dance. One challenge was balancing the varying levels of dance experience of the members of the team. “Finding that middle ground where all of us can push each other, but at the same time, feel comfortable, can be a challenge,” Co-Captain Lily Hrazdira ’24 said.
The Pep Rally performance was also a celebration of Field Hockey’s improved record this season. “We definitely want to prove ourselves, not just on the field, but also off the field,” Hrazdira said. “We are a force to be reckoned with.”
