Like moths to a flame, the flashing lights and upbeat music drew students to the “Fire and Ice” Back to School Dance and Rally on Aug. 30. The sight of students filing into the gym with Marching Band, Color Guard and Pep Squad welcoming them marked the start of a new school year.

“The first rally of the year was definitely exciting with the music and skits by the commissioners,” junior Darren Huynh said. “It was great to be back at school and meet up with my friends as an upperclassman.”

As students were seated in the bleachers with a view of red and blue balloons spread across the gym, lights dimmed and the rally started with a roll call, allowing each class to express their excitement as they jumped up and cheered.

Senior pep rally commissioners Michael Huang and Aaron Firth introduced the fall sports captains, who invited students to come out and show support at their games. The captains then competed in a race, bouncing across the gym floor with hopper balls. Halfway through, they had to hula hoop and once finished, bounce to the end of the finish line.

After congratulating the football team on the 54-0 football win against Saddleback Valley and dancing to celebrate, the pep rally commissioners further advised students on how to behave at the dance while encouraging students to attend.

Their efforts paid off with huge attendance at the dance, during which a sea of students waved their arms in the air while jumping to the beat of the music. Fog ejected out of machines in intervals throughout the three hours as a series of colorful lights illuminated the crowd. After jamming out throughout the night, students had a moment to cool off by grabbing refreshments and chatting with friends. The dance included red and blue decorations and activities centered around the “Fire and Ice” theme.

“Our thought process when planning the dance was to get people excited for this upcoming school year,” junior vice president Emily Odom said. “We really wanted to make the dance fun for everyone.”

Core Camp was where ASB met during the summer and planned the Back to School dance. During their preparations, they specifically chose the “Fire and Ice” theme because it was a new idea and provided students with options on their costumes.

While the Back to School Dance is over, Homecoming is coming up. This year the dance has been themed “Battle of the Universes,” featuring freshman as “Mystery,” sophomores as “Magical,” juniors as “Galactic” and seniors as “Superverse.” Students can dress up to follow a different theme each day this week. To prepare for Homecoming season, students can buy tickets at the Student Activities Center for another night of excitement on Oct. 5 from 7:30-10:30 p.m.