Overcoming a number of obstacles and changes, the 78th annual Song & Yell went on smoothly, and even ahead of schedule, with the school’s iconic cheers being heard across the football field, along with class performances and other student acts to the delight of the crowd on Friday, November 3rd.
Initially the administration had planned to hold Song & Yell after 6th period for class attendance purposes, but the ASB urged them to keep it after 4th to encourage assembly participation. This sudden adjustment came after Song & Yell had already been delayed a week due to attendance concerns as various field trips and summits drew students away.
Despite these delays, the spotlight remained on each class’ skit and dance during the competition, all following this year’s theme: seasons. As expected, the senior class took the win with their summertime breakup story, set at the end of the school year.
In second came the juniors, who whitened up the field with their winter break romance, featuring baby powder and well-known holiday songs, like “All I Want For Christmas” by Mariah Carey.
Coming in third, the sophomores surprised crowds as popular chemistry teacher, Mr. Matsumoto, joined them in their fall-time, homecoming game and dance scene, dancing to Halloween classics, like “Thriller” by Michael Jackson.
Even though the freshman class came last, many believed they overperformed, surpassing assumptions of a weaker performance with their springtime story of becoming.
Other key elements to Song & Yell were the singing and chanting of “Galileo Fight Song,” “Lion’s Whisper,” and “The Big ‘G’” by each of the classes, joined by the cheer squad and the orchestra and band classes.
Both the skits and chanting were judged by a panel of judges, including retired Galileo teachers Mr. Taylor and Ms. Green, alum Monica Sudiyanto of the Class of 2020, and well-known substitute Mr. Winterling.
A few other mentions and performances include the presentation of colors and national anthem by the Color Guard, songs performed by the Drum Corp, a performance from the cheer squad, and a couple of songs played by orchestra and band members.
Talking about her experience with Song & Yell, junior Betsy D. expressed her hope for more participation in her class’ skits and performances, saying, “I enjoyed the whole thing. Despite having a smaller group of people performing than last year, we were well organized.”
From the general audience’s perspective, junior Jett L. described it as a “fun experience,” saying, “some highlights were probably the dancing of course. It was nice to see all the classes put in their hard work to produce a source of entertainment for the school,” referencing the creativity and quality performance across all aspects of the assembly.
