Students from all schools in the district visit MVHS for the Homecoming rally.
Students sit in small circles on the floor. "What is something from MVHS you’d like to bring back or see happen at your school?" asked the discussion leader to her group. Each cluster trying to brainstorm ideas and give a critique of Monta Vista.
On Oct. 24, students from Lynbrook, Homestead, Fremont, and Cupertino visited MVHS for the Intra-District Council, or IDC, exchange. Each attendee shadowed a student from MVHS for a day.
"Every year, IDC has five exchanges – one at each school" MVHS ASB IDC Representative senior Sofia Liou said. The other four are in second semester, and MVHS had ours at the Homecoming Rally because we wanted everyone in the district to see how awesome MVHS’s Homecoming [is]."
The exchange allowed students from other schools to give input on what they liked and did not like at MVHS. It included 30 students holding leadership positions who were looking for ideas to take back to their respective schools as well as other students. Positions included ASB presidents, class officers, and other positions such as athletics commissioner.
"I just wanted to see what MVHS’ rallies [were] like and see if we [could] share any ideas and get inspired," Lynbrook Rally Commissioner senior P.J. Loury said.
Students from the other schools noted differences between MVHS rallies and their own.
"I had to take a break at moments because I couldn’t comprehend how much more spirit [MVHS] showed [than our school]," Fremont ASB president senior Charles Enchill said.
All exchange students gathered in the student center to discuss their opinions of the rally and the school. Many Lynbrook students wanted to implement class colors, class themes, and the senior breakthrough at their own rallies while Homestead students really liked the "I survived the Monta Vista Rally" shirts thrown into the crowd.
In addition to using the IDC exchange as a way to find inspiration for their own rallies, student visitors offered constructive criticism and ideas of their own for MVHS. Some suggested feedback included introducing the sports teams at rallies, a live feed camera, as well as implementing sister classes, which means that the freshmen and juniors form a team and the sophomores and seniors form a team for Homecoming week. With sister classes, the upperclassman help the lowerclassmen build floats and they support eachother at their Homecoming rally.
"The entire school really comes together, and I could tell that each grade really had a sense of class pride," Loury said. "Even the teachers seemed to get pretty spirited."
