Ripon High had  a jam-packed schedule these past few weeks with rallies, dress-up days, BBQ’s, and a dance all to celebrate the beginning of a new school year and motivate students to “Join the Tribe”. Spirit is high and both students and staff are looking forward to an exciting and fun-filled year.

“I’m excited to join clubs I haven’t been apart of yet during high school. I think they’re a great way to be involved and make school more fun,” Senior Maci Herrin said.

Club Rush week began with dress-up days to represent the many clubs and organizations that Ripon High has to offer including JROTC, FFA, and sports. Many students exhibited their spirit in either a class color or an outfit that represented the corresponding club for the day. On Friday, a free BBQ was held for the students where they could explore all of their options with clubs, sports, activities, and organizations and really have an opportunity to get involved and find what is right for them.

“This week is one of the most important weeks because it sets the tone for the rest of the year. Not only does it allow people to get involved with clubs, dress-up days, and activities, but it lets people form connections with each other and the staff,” senior and ASB President Mia Benzinger stated.

Clubs are one way that students decide to get involved while at Ripon, and club members have a lot of pride in what they are apart of.

“During the summer, we put in so much work trying to figure out how to make the club [United] the most effective and how to make it the most fun. Club Rush was really the proving ground to see if all that work in summer paid off,” Senior and United President Samuel Brown said.

Brown and his club are not the only ones who put an immense amount of time and effort into making this week one that students and staff would enjoy. Leadership is among those who work hard to pull this week off.

“The prime example of work was the multiple hats that kids were wearing on Friday. We have 38 in the class and not all of us were serving [food]… We had kids running the tables, selling dance tickets, selling shirts…We were spread pretty thin, but everyone had their many hats and we were working to create the best, most positive experience for our students,” Leadership teacher Jill Mortensen stated.

Mortensen went on to explain that she enjoyed seeing the spirit and manners present this year within the student body and that she hopes everyone is pumped for a new school year.

Ripon High finished out the week with their annual Neon Back-to-School dance on Saturday.

“It’s my favorite part of the week,” Herrin stated, “I love to have fun and dance. It’s a fun way to be involved in activities and spend time with the people you know. This week is really a great time to see what you like to be involved in and find your place”.