The Snow Week Pep Fest at Owatonna High School was held on Monday, Feb. 9, bringing students together to officially kick off Snow Week 2026,.The OHS Student Council chose “Blizzard on the Beach” for this year’s theme. The Federated Gymnasium was filled with excitement as students gathered to celebrate school spirit and take part in one of OHS’s favorite traditions.
This week before the pep fest, twelve students were nominated by their peers to be part of the Snow Week court. The Top 12 Queens were Brynn Andrix, Naomie Delarosa, Vivian Gieseke, Lucy Jacobs, Sofia Maas, Ellie Meiners, Amal Mohamed, Dylann Norrid, Piper Radsek, Harper Shives, and Grace Thiele. The Top 12 Kings included Elijah Black, Mubarak Hassan, Boldin Krause, Ryan McInstis, Mercy Mwanga, Josh Olsen, Mason Pelinka, Eliseu Segura, Phoenix Storm, Hunter Theobald, Vincent Justice, and Josh Walerius.
One of the biggest highlights of the pep fest was the mattress game. Students competed in the fun and entertaining challenge while the crowd cheered loudly from the bleachers. The energy in the gymnasium stayed high as classmates supported one another and laughed along with the competition.
Dylann Norrid said, “It was so fun being a part of the mattress game and dances. I loved creating my dance with my friends while showing our dance we’ve been working on to share with the school.”
Another crowd favorite moment was the staff lip sync battle between Ms. Shives and Mr. Hawkins. Ms. Shives performed with a rock classic, bringing big energy and confidence to the gym floor. Mr. Hawkins followed with “All the Single Ladies,” fully committing to the performance and getting loud reactions from the audience. The friendly competition had students cheering, laughing, and showing their support for both staff members.
Days prior to the pep fest juniors and seniors got a chance to vote on the Top 5. The Top 5 Queens were Sofia Maas, Amal Mohamed, Dylann Norrid, Harper Shives, and Grace Thiele. The Top 5 Kings were Elijah Black, Boldin Krause, Mercy Mwanga, Eliseu Segura, and Josh Walerius.
At the pep fest selected teachers put leis on the King and Queen, which was Boldin Krause and Amal Mohamed.
The pep fest successfully set the tone for the rest of Snow Week, building excitement and bringing the OHS community together to celebrate tradition with school pride.
