Three times every year, all things stop at Blair. They are usually on Friday afternoons and they mark the beginning of a new sports season. We know them as pep rallies, a time to relax from class and have some good olÕ fashioned school spirit. Or so they thought.

Now most students like pep rallies simply because they get out of class. The idea of school spirit is lost, and it usually becomes a screaming contest between grades. Amid these often rambunctious crowds, cheerleaders and pom-poms perform and athletes boast about the coming season. However, a highlight for even the most rowdy students at Blair is the performance of the DIVA Dancers, a hip-hop dance group at Blair.

But that all changed last pep rally when the Blair administration decided to remove all clubs and non-athletic organizations from pep rallies (cheerleading and pom-poms, of course, are considered sportsÉ but thatÕs an entirely different argument). This means an end to the DIVAs and their long-standing performance.

The rationale for all this: "ÉThey take away the time that should be focused on the athletes," said principal Phillip Gainous in a December 19 article of the school newspaper, Silver Chips.

The DIVAs, which is an acronym for Diverse, Intelligent, Versatile, and Athletic, were told about the removal three days before the November pep rally.

Putting the DIVAs on the sidelines is not only a major mistake for the administration it will also take away the interest that some Blazers still had in watching the rallies.

The DIVAs rocked the school every year with their rhythm and unique style. And while athletes do deserve the respect and praise of its students, they are not the only side of Blair.

In fact, what makes Blair so special are groups such as the DIVAs that add to the diversity of Blair. They are just one of the many clubs that have formed from the 3,200 students that attend and the diverse heritages they represent, from the Middle Eastern Dancing Club to the Breakdancing Club to the Young Republicans Club.

A testament to this diversity occurred in a recent talent show, in which the African dance club followed a surburban rock group, which in turn followed a kazoo band. Blazers too often take for granted this microcosm of diversity that simply does not occur at many high schools. Blair doesnÕt just have a school playÑthere is an International Night, an African-American Heritage Night, a Magnet Arts Night, and much more.

The DIVAs are a symbol of this diversity. By removing them from the pep rally, the administration is sending an alarming message to the students, that athletics is their number one priority. And while pep rallies have traditionally stood for putting down rival athletic schools and clapping for the various teams, they are most importantly about school spirit.

In a time at Blair when school spirit is oftentimes abused as class pride, the DIVAs may represent the last hope of reviving a common unity between Blazers. Unfortunately, that link has all but faded away, taking away the rich heritage that only a school like Blair can offer.