The final countdown

Anna+DiCrisi+22+and+I+were+so+proud+of+the+show+that+had+come+together+over+the+past+six+weeks.+%28Photo+Credit%3A+Katie+Thomas%29

Anna DiCrisi ’22 and I were so proud of the show that had come together over the past six weeks. (Photo Credit: Katie Thomas)

“Well, today’s the day.”

Gigi Coo ’24 and I pose on the lawn excitedly as we finished our last flex together. (Photo Credit: Katie Thomas)

As I wandered onto the Rosary campus on March 10, 2022, I couldn’t help but be filled with a sort of melancholy feeling. Thursday. The last day to prepare for Red and Gold. My last day of flex . . . ever.

Wait, like ever?

Yes, I came to this realization mid-morning as I strolled onto campus the same way I had so many other times for the past six weeks–nay, the past four years. Of all the Red and Gold Flex days I had ever had, be they on Zoom or in a classroom or out on the lawn, I had but one left to finish off my high school career.

No pressure.

Spanish flashed by in a blur, as did Comparative Religions. By the time I got to Journalism, I began making my final preparations for Red and Gold: executing all the necessary calls and messages, I successfully prepared for our final chance to work on the show.

Gold Drama, Tech, and Script pose after their long-awaited dinner. (Photo Credit: Joanie Thomas)

I met my Gold drama girls and fellow drama captain Gigi Coo ‘24 out in our corner of the lawn, a place we had practiced our show many times before. Last-minute reminders flew from our brains (and mouths) like runners at the pop of a starting pistol.

“Bring food AND water! We don’t want you passing out.”

“Don’t forget your costumes!”

“You’re ready for this: trust yourselves!”

My feelings slowly shifted to those of gratitude tinged with sorrow as I thanked all of them for working so hard, making us proud, and being the best group I could ask to be with for my last Red and Gold. Truly, it was a magic group of people I had grown to adore.

Makayla Palos-Rodriguez ’24 never failed to blow me away in her dance. (Photo Credit: Katie Thomas)

As this feeling slowly took over, we resolved to spend Flex reveling in our beautiful show and admiring the hard work of all the other dances and drills. And besides, we had a whole dinner to practice later.

I, having fought for a moment for Harry Styles and James Corden in the middle of Lily Demman ‘22 ‘s city dance since day one, finally found a time for them to practice their leaps across the stage.

I next took Dorothy Castellana ‘22, Mandy Puga ‘24, and Nisa Avalos ‘25 over to senior Kaylee Valente’s audition drill to practice their killer moves and incorporation.

Finally, I ran over to Amber Lizardi ‘23 ‘s salon dance in the hopes of catching Gigi Coo or Makayla Palos-Rodriguez ‘24 doing it perfectly, and to my delight found both executing the moves flawlessly (even though Gigi Coo is, in fact, not in the dance whatsoever).

After working so hard, it was so nice to celebrate our show with each other (and some tacos). (Photo Credit: Joanie Thomas)

I finished out the Flex by finding my producer and borderline twin Anna DiCrisi ‘22 to scream out some cheers with and revel in our final moments of practice for the show we had worked so tirelessly on. We took a look around, snapped a few dispos, and finished out our final Flex.

The rest of the day passed in a drudging blur: I made my way through lunch and AP Physics without too much hassle and headed home.

Home, where I was preparing to host a drama potluck that had at that point been brewing for two whole years.

For context, I was supposed to host a Gold drama and tech dinner on March 12, 2020, but . . . life had other plans for us. So, two years minus two days later, I was finally able to make use of the large box of gold decorations my mom had so graciously ordered back before the pandemic.

As my girls slowly arrived, we were able to truly celebrate all of the work we had put into our show and spend time with each other as castmates who had grown to be the best of friends. We ran through “Two In a Million” for the final time without an audience, showcasing to each other just how far we had come as a group.

While the evening slowly faded and reminders bounced out of our brains, we rested easy in the fact that we were finally about to share our magic with the world.

I gathered props and every gold object I could find and shut my eyes, wrestling with anticipation for the weekend ahead.