Red & Gold Kickoff is this Friday, Jan. 30! For many new members of our Rosary community, this day may seem a little confusing because there is a LOT going on. Essentially, Kickoff is the official start to the Red & Gold season. What many people may not know is just how much work goes into this special day!
Alumna Mia Kennedy ‘22 shared a little bit about her Kickoff experience: “Kickoff is what sets the tone for the rest of the Red & Gold season. Whether it be the posters strewn about the school, bathrooms decked out in various shades of red and gold or watching the captains perform their skits, it’s a morning filled with excitement that foreshadows the six weeks ahead. When I was a captain, it was amazing to finally be able to share all that we had been working on for months. It’s a reminder of why Red & Gold is such an important aspect to Rosary culture.”
First, let’s talk about what the Royals should expect on Friday. This day is an early-release day (11:30 a.m. dismissal). When Royals arrive at school, they will find our campus covered in red and gold decorations! Posters, banners and crazy bathroom decorations will bring so much school spirit to our campus.
Then, they will go to their first period class (be sure to be on time!) and find out which team and category they are in. To build on the excitement, there will be a rally directly after. ASB and White Team will perform a skit to reveal this year’s theme (which is what the show is based on). Then, each team will act out a skit to reveal their respective mascots.
Finally, students will break up into their teams, and several things will happen. As a group, the script captains will give a brief overview of their show, and producers will have some opening remarks. Then, the students will meet in their individual categories and get a feel for the show! Dance and drill captains will display their dances for students to have an idea of which one they want to be part of, and drama and choral will discuss the show.
All this doesn’t just happen overnight; there are months of work that go into making Kickoff a special experience for our students. After the Red & Gold captains are announced in December, the captains spend their winter break and the subsequent weekends in top-secret meetings preparing for Kickoff! Script captains wrote the show over break, dance and drill choreographed their pieces, fashion designed their outfits and publicity kicks it into high gear, making posters, sticky notes and creating plans for the bathroom.
Head Publicity Captain Gigi Simmons ’26 shares, “Our team, but especially our Pub Captains, put in all our time and effort to make sure that the school and our bathroom look funky and show a lot of school spirit!”
Finally, the night before Kickoff, the captains have a sleepover to prepare to be at Rosary at 6 a.m. sharp. However, there is hardly any sleeping happening. Captains practice their dances, their kickoff skit and put the final touches on their decorations. ASB also has a sleepover here at Rosary. And early in the morning, all the magic begins!
Captains race to cover as much of the school as possible; they have exactly an hour to cover the school and decorate their bathrooms under White Team supervision. After that, their hard work is rewarded with a breakfast put together by the Rosary parents. White Team member Siena Ruszak ‘26 shared her favorite part of Kickoff: “My favorite part is getting to see the girls rush through the school gates to start decorating.”
So why does all of this matter? Red & Gold is the most impactful show of school spirit here at Rosary, and Kickoff gets everyone excited for the whole season! Seeing the school adorned in their team’s colors makes Royals feel pride for their team. In addition, Kickoff is the culmination of all the hard work the captains have been putting in to making Red & Gold special for every single member of their team. It also makes Royals feel so much ambition and anticipation for the coming Flex days and all the work that is yet to be done. Even though a captain’s work is never done, they get to share the load with the entire student body, and everything is out in the open, so all that is left is to lead their team to victory.
As a former Gold Script Captain and the White Team Senior Rep this year, I’m so thrilled for this year’s Kickoff! Red & Gold is upon us, Royals, remember to have fun, get outside your comfort zone, make new friends and don’t leak the script!
