The Welcome Back Rally kicked off the year on Friday September 5. The rally started traditionally with the senior class’ running entrance and the introduction of this year’s emcees, Senior Ryan O’Boyle and Sophomore Gabe Renneison, dressed as Batman and Robin respectively. The rumors that a large police presence would issue breathalyzer tests were false, as there was only one police officer present and no students were randomly tested at the rally.

The first act of the rally was a cover of Fun.’s “We Are Young,” sung by senior and Tam News reporter Maddie Elias, accompanied on the piano by sophomore Devon Lawrence. When the song reached its chorus there was an echo in the theatre as students from every grade sang along with their hands waving in the air.

Following Elias was Tam’s dance team. The group’s routine was set to a hip hop mix, and despite their captain having graduated last year, the dance team has not experienced a large change in content or reception. Even with a new captain, a new choreographer, and a new manage, the team seems to remain a rally favorite.

After the dance team cleared the stage, teams of teachers were made to compete in the first rally game; one first-year teacher was paired with one returning teacher. The new teacher was blindfolded and had to toss wiffle balls into a bucket that returning teachers held on their heads, and the pair with the most balls in the bucket at the end of the allotted time won. That pair was Erin Ashley and Abbey Levine with eight balls caught.

Following another rally tradition, Physics teacher Dave Lapp descended the theater with a decibel meter for class cheers. The senior class won by a narrow margin this rally with 119.8 dB, just 0.3 dB over the junior class’ 199.5 dB. The sophomores came in at 177.6 dB, and the freshman, roughly ten times quieter, at 107.8 dB.

Introduced as “The Octopus” by our caped emcees, sophomore Alden Richardson took the floor next and danced solo to a dub step mix. “It was a freestyle sort of mash up of different moves,” Richardson said.

The final rally game came next. Student couples from each grade were brought down to play. The boys were blindfolded, and given a container of Hershey’s chocolate syrup, while the girls were given goggles, shower caps, a plastic cup, and extra-large t-shirts. The goal of the game was for the blindfolded partner to, while standing on a chair, pour chocolate into the cup placed on their prone partner’s forehead. The couple with the most chocolate in the cup at the end of the round won the game. Sophomores Maile Resta and, Tam News reporter, Nic Mosher won.

Next, Lawrence performed Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love,” playing both keyboard and singing proving to be equally as crowd pleasing as “We Are Young.”

Following Lawrence’s act, the cheerleaders closed up the rally with a couple cheers that might have been familiar to attendees of Tam sporting events.

Before concluding the rally, themes for Homecoming were announced. The overall theme is “Rescue Me.” Freshman are the police, sophomores get to be firefighters, juniors were given lifeguards, and seniors are superheroes.