By Marcelina Kiszkiel
Staff Writer

The students of Prospect High School expressed their school spirit at the spring pep assembly held on Friday, April 4 within the field house. Social Studies teacher Michelle Fonsino planned the event while the students hosted the assembly and announced each activity.

Various sports teams were honored for their efforts and achievements throughout the school year, including both boys and girls’ water polo teams as well as the girls’ gymnastics team. The band was also acknowledged and honored for their accomplishments.

Retiring staff members Dave Wurster, Rebecca Hagberg Cohen, Pat Tedaldi-Monti and Dave Jacobson were celebrated as well  for their time of teaching at Prospect.

The girls’ gymnastics team took to the floor of the field house and performed a stunning routine filled with various flips and stunts, using small bars and mats set up in the middle of the floor.

“I really enjoyed watching the gymnastics team perform,” said Fonsino. “I think that was really cool, something that we haven’t done before, and they’re so talented; it was a great stage for them to perform on in front of all their peers.”

The famous Prospect Knight made an appearance and fired free T-shirts with a small cannon into the stands filled with cheering students, right after World Language teacher Michael Aldworth and Math teacher Mike Riedy wrestled each other in the middle of the field house while dressed in large sumo suits.

“I definitely remember when I saw Riedy start the atomic elbow drop and I saw him actually get off the ground and turn horizontal and then just land,” said Aldworth.  “And the last thought I had was, ‘Oh dear me, I really hope this [suit] is padded enough!’”

Afterwards, the student body participated in a scavenger hunt game where the hosting students announced various items, such as a blue Nike shoe, and the students of each grade level would toss the item down to their representative in order to win points. At the end of the games, the seniors were victorious.

Prospect’s service club also awarded a few students with $500 scholarships through a raffle.

At the end of the assembly, the students stormed to the middle of the field house in order to take a schoolwide group picture for the District 214 Twitter contest.

Fonsino believes the students enjoyed themselves and that the assembly was a success.

“No one came up to me and said, ‘I hated the assembly’ so the only people that have been talking to me were the ones that liked it,” said Fonsino. “I’ve only heard positive feedback from people saying, ‘This is the most fun assembly I’ve seen in ten or six years of working here,’ so I hope it’s a success.”