Every year, Senior Cheerleader Pie Day tests the limits of the most spirited students on campus, though not in the usual cheerleader way. The challenge was not through how loud and spirited they could be, but how they could handle the test of having to stay quiet throughout the entirety of the school day. The catch is, every time they talk, they lose a clothespin, and the students who take their pins from them get to pie them at the end of the day.
This year, seniors Adrienne Woods and Emma Frances Cromartie reflected on their experiences with the challenge, sharing stories that were equal parts entertaining and humbling. Woods admitted she hadn’t prepared much for the day of silence.
“I kind of expected for me to talk, I guess, just because I talk a lot,” Woods said.
Known for her outgoing personality, Woods found the quiet more difficult than she anticipated, especially around certain people.
“I was most worried about Mr. Hintermaier because I talk to him every day,” Woods said.
To get through the day, Woods relied on her phone’s Notes app to communicate.
“At one point, Ms. Gonzalez bumped into me, and I walked away, but then I thought, wait, I need to tell her sorry,” she said. “So I wrote in my Notes app, ‘I’m so sorry.’”
Her strategy helped, at least for a while. By the end of the day, she had lost two pins: one to her teacher, Mr. Hintermaier like she assumed, and another to fellow student Gizelle Segura. When it came time for the pieing, Woods took it in stride.
“It was kind of cold outside, so it wasn’t all that great, but it tasted kind of good,” Woods said.
Similarly, Cromartie shared she was unsure what her strategy would be to avoid a pie to the face.
“I went in with high hopes, but no idea how to stay quiet,” Cromartie said.
Despite her worries going in, Cromartie managed to keep most of her pins, losing only one to fellow student Temira Bolds. Cromartie said her biggest worry wasn’t having to stay quiet, but that she would accidentally talk, specifically to her friends.
“If any of my interests came up, I knew I would talk. I was so scared about that,” Cromartie said.
Senior Cheerleader Pie Day once again proved that staying silent can be one of the most difficult challenges of all. For all the senior cheerleaders, the day was a sweet reminder of the traditions that make senior year so memorable. When reflecting on the whole day, Woods stated.
“The whole day was full of laughter and fun, and even though I got pied, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”