Rancho Cucamonga High School’s Jurassic Park themed Kingsball week was held on Feb. 21-26. It was an opportunity for students to celebrate their achievements through rallies, spirit days, and a dance. 

The week began with a spirit week filled with days consisting of camo wear, mix and match, crazy hair, and purple for Rancho.

ASB kidnapped the King’s Ball princes on Friday, Feb. 18 in second period. After the kidnapping, the 2022 Rancho princes celebrated with food and were presented with an itinerary for the week.

This year’s royalty included seniors Kainoah Koffman, Jake Jensen, Andrew Escanuelas, Kwabena Banahene, Matthew Lin, Benjamin Lightfoot, and Thaddeus Dirige. 

ASB also hosted a series of lunchtime activities where the princes of court played games like musical chairs, tug-o-war, and basketball.

Thursday night after school, a rally setup occurred. 

This year is a little different since the location of the rally has changed to the football field, but ASB prepared for sets and posters that best fit that grand size of stage since the beginning of the theme was decided.

Freezing winds blasted through the stadium, but everyone there was determined to accomplish the set up, providing the best possible rally for the school.

Rally setup was also a chance for princes to run their walkouts with fellow friends as well as practice the prince court dance, choreographed by ASB students Eliana Oduro and Bryanna Binsol. 

The next Friday morning of Feb. 25, the Jurrasic celebration was ready to begin. 

Students packed the stadium and chanted alongside the music and entertainment.

Groups all the way from drumline, dance, and cheer entertained audiences as the crowd ate up Mr. Aaron Bishop’s and Mr. Joshua Kirk’s attempted Australian accent.

As the rally concluded, the signature song, “Don’t Stop Believin’” started to play and the expected mosh sprung in the center of the field.

After the rallies, voting for Kingsball King began and closed at the end of second lunch.

The following day, it was time for the dance.

Projections of dinosaurs lit up across campus as strobe lights struck the main quad, timed alongside the music of the D.J. In the east quad another D.J entertained while a video game truck was parked by the pool area. 

In the middle of the dance, princes escorted their dates towards the top of the stage and awaited the results of voting.

Benjamin Lightfoot was crowned king as the princes all celebrated their week among each other pulling off an amazing experience for the school and themselves.

Prince Matthew Lin said, “I’m super grateful to have been a part of the unforgettable experience. Whether it was the lunch activities, getting to know all the other amazing yet amiable princes, or even in those nerve wracking moments where your waiting for Mr. Bishop to call in your walkout group, every day brought its own challenges, joys, and high school memories that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”

The rally was originally scheduled for Friday, Feb.  4, 2022 but pushed back because of the rising Omicron numbers.  

The week was filled with highlights and ASB pulled off the expected level of rally for Rancho despite the unpredictable year.