Students had the first opportunity of the 2017 school year to experience all that Cleveland has to offer, from spirit, to the incredible students and staff that make our school whole.

On Friday, Sept.15, new and familiar faces, drowned in green and gold, packed into the gymnasium to celebrate the first spirit assembly of the year, the Fall Kickoff assembly.

As tradition goes, the Cleveland Daires initiated the event, singing the National Anthem.

Following the performance of the choir, the entertainment commenced with roll call, which brought students up on their feet to root for their class. Seniors outdid the entire student body, proving their senior pride.

Fall sports’ captains from select teams were the representatives in the first relay, where students played mini versions of a variety of sports. Girls volleyball took the win, as they raced down the court, beating out every other team.

Dance team followed, as they debuted their new group for the season, performing an electric routine to keep the crowd amped up.

The student body was then introduced to new staff members as each new member took a shot at trivia that included facts centered around Cleveland, and generic topics as well. Only five of them were left standing after the first and final round.

The class relay wrapped up the entertainment, leaving seniors as the winners. Two representatives from each class were drawn to compete against other classes. Students raced back and forth down the court to ultimately end up with a face full of whipped cream.

Cleveland’s Fall Kickoff assembly is famous for being the first spirit assembly of the year, however this assembly also had an informational tone to bring students and staff aware of what Cleveland has to offer.

“It was very important for us to, especially for the freshmen, to get them acclimated with what’s going on in the school, and what to do, and how they can be involved,” junior class president Nick Paesler explained.

The Health Center was publicized for the student body, several clubs were introduced, including SAGA, HOSA, Key Club, and YES, and even students of significance were recognized. Exchange students, Kiia Kylmala from Finland, Roberta Oggiana from Italy, Mevlut Ince from Turkey, Linus Kaminsky from Germany, and Lukas Longfors Hansen from Denmark are all upperclassmen attending Cleveland for this school year. Search and Rescue students, were also acknowledged for their efforts in helping with the containment of the recent wildfires.

The Fall Kickoff assembly is part of what starts our school year off strong, so to ensure that this event really showcased what our assemblies really encompass, leadership began planning even before the school year began. A week before the first day of the school year, leadership students began splitting into committees to plan the agenda, get in touch with the school, and more. Timing and transitions were extremely important for the assembly, and through the help of the leadership class, the assembly was able to accomplish a condensed, yet captivating event for all.

Overall the assembly was considered a success with spirit, timing, and enjoyment in mind, and students can have confidence that the 2017-2018 school year will be promising.