Behind the spectacular balloon arch and dazzling countdowns, hides an immense amount of work done by the diligent CHS ASB team. There is a long process before the rallies to turn the large gym from the P.E. roll-call room to the overwhelming display at each rally.

First, ASB students on rally committee will get together to plan the theme of the upcoming rally where they hold a majority vote to help them choose their original theme. Past themes include: family game night, cartoon rally, survival of the pack, who dunnit, and many others. Along with figuring out the theme, the students must keep in mind what they can realistically do.

“It takes time [to plan] because sometimes when we pick a theme, we realize it’s not really working out as planned, and we have to keep adjusting it. We also need to make sure everyone is on the same page with the themes so we’re all making the same type of posters,” sophomore ASB member Kyra Tisopulos said.

From creating the posters on the walls to creating the colorful balloon arch, there are many hours of work that go into perfecting these 40 minute rallies. The night before and the day of the rally are the most stressful for ASB members because of the short time frame. Students are required to stay three to four hours after school and also on the morning of the rally, sometimes even taking posters home to make. During this time, the students divide into different groups to blow up balloons, finish posters, put up the tech screens, and lay out mats on the floor. While the gym is being set-up the night before, ASB members also make sure the script is finalized for the next day.

“The hardest part of setting up a rally is not having a decoration or idea turn out the way we wanted, and we have to find a way to make it work or fix it in that exact moment because there is no time to spare,” junior and ASB member Aubrey Christiansen said. “The last rally was supposed to be the game of life, but the week before the rally, we changed everything: decor, theme, games, etc.”

Along with the stress of decorating the gym for the CHS students to enjoy, there is added stress because of the technical equipment that needs to be set up for the rally. The videos are taken, edited, and put together by four CHS students known as the Tech Team. The head of the team is sophomore Natalie Nguyen, the youngest student to ever lead the CHS Tech Team, which also includes seniors Gavin Derleth, Kalianni Neal-Desatnik, and Chaska Yamane. The rally videos require immense commitment from the team, as they only have a week to brainstorm, film, and edit their videos before the rally.

“After every project is finished, I remember why I started filming. Having a vision and making it come to life is a feeling like no other,” Nguyen said.

Even though there are a lot of difficulties and stress that come along with working in rallies, most ASB and tech team members can agree that it is all worth it once they see the finished product come together.