Pep Talk : Pep Club Executives work with the administration to create a positive Lancer Culture

Transitioning from a “hype group” to part of the principal’s advisory board, this year’s Pep Club Executives are working with the administration to shift the “Lancer culture” of  student sections and their position in the school as a whole.

The current pep execs are seniors Graham Mosher, Audrey Condon, Peyton Moore, Morgan Turpin, Hassan Sufi and Eddie Leopold. Once considered the leaders of senior sections, they are now part of the principal’s advisory board, which includes parents and faculty from the East community who meet quarterly to discuss issues relevant to the school — ranging from half-day schedules to concerns of negativity at East’s games. 

The pep execs encourage positive chants and behavior in student sections, discouraging vulgar chants or hurtful terms. They plan pep assemblies to unify the student body, Turpin shared. During the club’s weekly meetings in seminar, they discuss upcoming events and prevalent issues. 

“The principal’s advisory board is for the principal to get feedback on current events or things that need to go on our to-do list,” Mosher said. “[Mr. Peres is] taking recommendations from people and also taking criticism from people. He’s getting a lot of good input.”

One of their main goals on the advisory board is to unite the student body through positivity, rather than stir them up, according to Turpin. While they’ll still promote school spirit, pep is no longer their priority.

 Instead, they now prioritize East’s reputation, which is “not so good,” according to Condon. East has established notoriety for negative chants about opponents in the past, according to both Condon and Peres. Peres hopes to resolve this by changing the way the student section behaves.

“[Pep club] just wants to make sure everyone’s included and uplifting our own team, not bringing other teams down,” Turpin said. 

Principal Jason Peres says that the strength of Shawnee Mission East comes from speaking up.

“Part of what makes Lancer Nation strong is our willingness to speak up when things aren’t as they should be.”

He strongly advocates for positivity within student sections, partially through his work with pep club. Many of the regulations about positivity aren’t only his, but KSHSAA’s rules for sporting event behavior, which are applicable to every school, public and private, within the state of Kansas. 

Rule 52 states that any non-supportive cheering, shouting or signage are unacceptable. Attendants  respect all other attendants. — even fans of the other school’s team.

With the help of the Pep Execs, Peres has noticed the student body respecting the rules and behaving more accordingly. Having peers advocating for positivity has proved to be effective.

“[The student body has] done an outstanding job this year,” Peres said. “They’ve been very responsive to any coaching that [faculty] has provided.”

While the changes will restore East’s reputation, Condon feels that there will always be students unhappy with the changes. While this school year has brought more emphasis on guidelines and chant restrictions, she doesn’t believe students have reached a permanent shift in mentality. Backlash is always a possibility, Condon said. When faced with this negativity, she reminds herself that there are many things she can’t control — her peers included. 

To help resolve negativity, football and basketball coaches have encouraged positivity within their teams by discussing any and all concerns. This includes any doubts, drama or anxiety when it comes to game day. In turn, student athletes encourage more positivity towards East’s own teams, and less aggression towards opponents.. Pep Club sponsor Shannon Nolan believes the coaches have made a significant impact on the perspective of many students and teachers in terms of the need for positivity. 

“The coaches have given me and Pep Club, as well as a lot of seniors, some perspective of what is going to make [our teams] improve, and the ultimate goal is to win,” Nolan said. “What is going to uplift our players to win?”

To ensure the student sections uplifts the players, the “number three rule” was born. The rule ultimately says that there can be up to three negative chants, or the section receives a strike. If all three strikes are obtained, a chaperone will speak with a Pep Exec, with a reminder of the regulations. While Pep Club discourages negative chants through redirection, it can be difficult to control their peers’ excitement, Mosher explained. 

With the beginning of each negative chant, the cheer team begins their own positive chant to redirect the student section. By doing this, students are given a place to express their excitement and cheer on their peers without negatively impacting or discriminating against others. Nolan has seen the impact of these efforts to boost positivity.

“The student section looks great,” Nolan said. “They’re loud. They’re cheering. They’re rowdy. It’s just what we want to see. And again, we’re just trying to uplift our team.”