South Salem High School students pour ice water on their principal during a January assembly. Photo taken by Zoey Keele
The Unified Assembly has been happening at South Salem High School for seven years. It started in 2018 and has happened every year since, besides 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19. This year it happened on Tuesday, January 23, 2024.
“My favorite part is seeing my students showcase their talents in front of their peers and watching the entire student body cheer them on,” Brennan Young, Unified educator, said.
It started off with the Symphonic Choir singing the National Anthem, along with a dance performance by the cheerleaders. Soon after, the Unified basketball game began. The gym was loud throughout the entirety of the game and there was abundant cheering for both teams. After the first half, South received a Unified Award for the second time, one that schools are only able to win every four years. After the award was given to South, the second half began. The white team played well, but in the end, the red team won 8-2.
At the end of the assembly, there was a mini polar plunge, which is one of the biggest unified fundraising events there is. Students got to vote for three teachers to sit in an inflated pool and have a bucket of ice water dumped on them. The teachers with the most votes were Les McBride, Sarah Keck and Saxon Principal, Tara Romine.
