Brianna Vargas/Maverick Messenger
Key Clubbers crowd the bus on the way to Fall Rally.

By Brianna Vargas
Assistant Editor

On December 13, Key Clubs from Nevada, Hawaii, and California finally had their Fall Rally. High school students from all Las Vegas high schools met at Cimarron Memorial High School before the dawn that Saturday morning. Role call began at one AM and continued until students filled the charter buses in the parking lot.

A-TECH’s Key Club is part of the 28 North Division. All members of 28 North gathered in the gymnasium, signing in and waiting for the Key Club officers to announce boarding time. Other divisions were spread out across the Cimarron campus. 28 North stayed in the gymnasium until around three-thirty AM when they were finally moved to wait in the cafeteria.

When the officers announced it was time to load the buses, Key Club members sprinted toward the buses to get the best seats.

The buses finally loaded and left the Cimarron parking lot around four AM and headed toward state line with all students trying to catch as much sleep as they could in the uncomfortable charter seats.

Buses stopped briefly in Barstow around seven AM for bathroom breaks and food refills. Once Key Clubbers were refueled and relieved, the buses headed off on the long journey to Valencia, California, home to Six Flags Magic Mountain.

The students arrived at Magic Mountain around 11 AM, and their Spirit Rally began at 11:30. The bus began to fill with hair spray and hair paint. Faces were painted the phoenix stripes, 28 north’s mascot.

Key Clubbers walked into the cheer session with high hopes of becoming the reigning champ for the third year in a row. However, in the cheer off, Division 28 West took the crown, cheering the loudest and clearest.

“I really thought we were going to win this year,” junior Meagan Profit said. “We’d won three years in a row before but I guess we just didn’t cheer loud enough this time.”

Division 28 north was greatly disappointed but decided to live up enormous roller coasters that surrounded them. Although the air was cold, every key clubber had a blast.

“It was so much fun, even with the freezing weather,” junior Chelsey McNair excited recalled. “The lines were kind of long though. But I still have a great time.”

The Fall Rally day was over around seven PM. All key clubs loaded up on their buses and took the long ride home, arriving in Vegas at midnight.

“The whole day was completely tiring. But it was worth it,” junior Randy Weyer remembered. “I’m deathly afraid of roller coasters and I even went on the biggest one in the park.”