With the fall season well underway, Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) had its first Renaissance Rally of the 2023-2024 school year on Oct. 13, 2023. Hosted by the Associated Study Body (ASB), the rally’s theme was based on the movie, “Friday the 13th”, aligning perfectly with the actual date in which the event occurred.
The Renaissance program rewards students for their academic excellence. To be eligible for Renaissance, students need to maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0, or demonstrate a 0.5 GPA increase from the previous grading period. Lupita Gonzalez ‘24 explained the main objective of the Renaissance Rally, which is “to make sure we celebrate students and their accomplishments academically.”
During fourth period, those in Renaissance received “Friday the 13th” inspired t-shirts that read “Ren Away”. They were also gifted goody bags filled with candy and festive toys, and received a ticket to indulge in a delightful ice cream treat during lunch.
As lunch approached, the quad came alive with students, greeted by a plethora of Halloween-inspired activities to enjoy. Additionally, Halloween music played from the stage adding to the festive atmosphere.
The area was decorated with caution tape, red streamers, spider webs, balloons and other spooky decorations, accentuating the “Friday the 13th” theme. Aditi Shanbhag ‘25 added that “[ASB] really went overboard with the decorations, which I love.”
On one side of the quad, an inflatable slide was set up, providing students with a thrilling opportunity to slide down and enjoy themselves in the company of their peers. The slide appeared to be a popular attraction among the students. In addition to that, there were numerous games available, including spike ball, corn hole, four square and more.
A tent was set up that provided students with a blood-red, ice cream treat to enjoy. However, the treat was only available to those who were in Renaissance. Along with that, a face painting tent was arranged where students could get a Halloween-inspired design painted upon their face.
On the stage, students had the chance to express their creativity through pumpkin painting. Some painted the classic Jack-o-lanterns, while others adorned their pumpkins with spooky designs.
A candy corn guessing game was offered, with students having the chance to win the candy corn by correctly guessing the amount in the bag. In fact, a student made the perfect guess, 412, and claimed the coveted bag of candy corn as their prize.
While the freshmen weren’t eligible for the sweet treat since they had not yet qualified for Renaissance, they received lanyards exclusively for them to ensure they didn’t feel excluded.
Some students were already thinking of ways to improve upon the rally for next quarter. According to ASB Vice President, Josh Gelman ‘26, the Renaissance Rally, “definitely [needed] some organization for the ice cream [tent] and I would try to add some more activities.”
Despite it being the superstitious day of Friday the 13th, the Foothill Tech Renaissance Rally brought students together in an event filled with fun activities and sweet treats. The event avoided the typical eerie spirits popular on this day, and replaced it with feelings of school spirit instead.
