Whittier High School’s Pep Rally is Kicked Into Overdrive by a Los Angeles Dodgers Visit
By: Angela Redding
Photos: Diana Castro/Premier Photo Int’l.
Whittier, CA, | Hollywood Beat magazine | February 4, 2023
Dodgers LOVE L.A. Community Tour
Students and staff members of Whittier High School in Whittier, CA were excited to have the 2020 World Championship Los Angeles Dodgers invade their “house.” The pep rally was the final stop on the Dodgers Love L.A. Community Tour. This was a great way to end the work week, school week, and the tour of love.
The Dodgers’ annual community service tour was and is built on giving back and expressing gratitude to several communities in Los Angeles County.
“Having the Dodgers visit our campus and interact with our students was a fantastic way to kick off our second semester and get students and staff excited for the remainder of the school year…” Tim Liggett, Whittier High School Principal
Tim Liggett, Whittier High School Principal with a $10,000 check from the
Los Angeles Dodgers and Bank of America.
Pumping up the crowd
1,700 students packed the gymnasium in anticipation of seeing their favorite Dodger player, and The Cruz Show from Real 92.3 was there to get the place pumped up and ready to welcome The Boys in Blue.
The Cruz Show – Left to right: Jackie Ramirez – On-air radio host,
Jeff Garcia – Producer of The Cruz Show, DJ Lechero – On-air personality, and Dj Fuze
participate in the Dodgers Love L.A. Community Tour event at Whittier High School Pep Rally
in Whittier, CA.
With chants of “Let’s Go Dodgers” resonating in the air, Jackie Ramirez, the on-air personality for The Cruz Show, organized a pep rally challenge between the upper and lower-class students of Whittier High. Who hit the ball straight out of the park? The lower class, which consisted of louder and more energetic ninth- and tenth-graders, won because they outperformed the upper class, which consisted of students in grades eleven and twelve.
Excitement, Fun, and COOKIES
As the 18 current Dodgers players and the two alumni were announced, the audience applauded and cheered. Dodgers in attendance included: Miguel Vargas, Phil Bickford, Michael Grove, Justin Bruihl, Diego Cartaya, Miguel Rojas, Shelby Miller, Noah Syndergaard, James Outman, Andre Jackson, J.P. Feyereisen, Michael Busch, Yency Almonte, Fernando Valenzuela, and Nomar Garciaparra.
During the pep rally, several Dodger players were paired with students to play games like Finish the Lyrics, a No-Hands Oreo Eating Contest, and Magic Carpet, in which players had to scoot across the gymnasium floor to their partners and then race back to the starting point.
There was a lot of fun and amusement for everyone watching as some participants struggled to scoot around the floor.
Noteworthy fact: Dodgers player Outman won the Oreo Eating Competition.
A Tasty Win For Sure
We asked Outman if he had played the game before and how he pulled off the win.
HB magazine: “You were one of the contest winners, right?”
Outman: “I was. I won the cookie contest.”
HB magazine: “Had you played that game before?”
Outman: “No. Never. Never in my life.”
HB magazine: “How did you get it to move down your face and win?”
Outman: “It actually fell down on my eye and then I kinda turned my head and scooted it until it fell into my mouth.”
James Outman, a Dodgers player, participates in the Oreo Cookie Eating Contest at the Whittier High School Pep Rally on
February 3, 2023, as part of the Dodgers Love L.A. Community Tour. (photos: Diana Castro/Premier Photo Int’l.)
Yency Almonte, a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, gave us his thoughts on the event even though he did not place in any of the competitions in which he took part.
HB magazine: “How do you think the pep rally went?”
Yency Almonte: “I thought it went great. It was fun. It was so loud and the kids had a great time.”
HB magazine: “When you were in high school did you participate in any of the pep rallies and were they anything like this one?”
Yency Almonte: “I went to the pep rallies but they weren’t like this! We didn’t have Pro athletes coming in and having fun with us. I think they (the Dodgers and Whittier High School) did it right.”
Dodgers player, Yency Almonte attends the Dodgers Love L.A. Community Tour at Whittier High School’s Pep Rally in Whittier, CA on February 3, 2023. (photos: Diana Castro/Premier Photo Int’l.)
To cap off the event the Dodgers and Bank of America presented Whittier High School’s principal, Tim Liggett, with a check for $10,000.
Approaching the Finish Line
Following the pep rally, we got up with two members of The Cruz Show team to hear their opinions on the event and the Dodgers’ community service.
Jackie Ramirez
On-Air Radio Host – The Cruz Show
“This was amazing. It was super incredible. The students were amazing. The players are such great sports. We were playing so many games. It was awesome!”
HB magazine: “When you were in High School, did you attend pep rallies and were they anything like this?”
“Nothing like this. This was a special treat for Whittier High School. When I was in High School I wish we had something like this.”
DJ Lechero
Daniel (Lechero) (Whittier High School Alumni):
“It was an amazing thing to witness. I think this is something these kids will never forget. And to be a part of this moment in time is something they will talk about years from now. That’s the big picture. They’ll be like, ‘Dude, remember that one time…’
Shout out to the Dodgers and Bank of America for their generous donation. To be here was dope.”
HB magazine: “You’re a Whittier High alumni; were the pep rallies like this one?”
Lechero: “Kinda like this, but not at this magnitude! Just to be here is a full-circle moment. And to be able to give back to the community…that’s what it’s about.”
DJ Lechero – On-air personality for The Cruz Show
This was a pep rally to end all pep rallies. Thank you Dodgers!
Dodgers Love L.A. – Whittier High School
Pep Rally Gallery
#DodgerBlue #Dodgers #Whittier #DodgersLoveLA
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