Students crowded the bleachers to cheer on our Golden Bears (JV and Varsity) against Villa Joe on Thursday, January 19th. Pack the Cave is one of the many beloved traditions at Merion and the Merion girls truly brought their school spirit this year. On Pack the Cave day, students were allowed to wear their Pack the Cave t-shirts: which was the ticket into the game. Pack the Cave included a performance from our very own pep squad at half time and a knock-out competition between students and teachers. Student Council also sold bead necklaces, bear paw temporary tattoos, and wristbands. All the proceeds went to the Mercy Girl Effect Project. 

From a player’s perspective, Annie Conway ‘23 recalls that the team prepared themselves for Pack the Cave by working hard the week leading to the game. With a great practice the day before, the players saw this as an opportunity to play their best in the game against Villa with a large crowd supporting them. She says that the JV team set the tone early and handled the crowd very well. The Merion student section was thrilled when the JV won 21-19, as the players rushed the court in celebration. Annie emphasizes that the JV team “Set the Varsity girls a preview of the Pack the Cave atmosphere and got them eager to play.” Putting up a great battle against Villa the scoreboard was 35-33, Villa. 

Along with watching the game, the Merion student section was very excited for the pep squad performance at half-time. Seniors Jade Kirby and Kamani Kegler choreographed the majority of the dance with the help of Dior Lucas. While the dance took some time to perfect, in no time the pep squad was game day ready. Kamani and Jade recall that before the game the team had “high energy and was very excited to perform our chants.” The performance is on the Merion Mercy Instagram page for all to see! The pep squad team was difficult to start back up as it stopped in 2018. Kamani and Jade say they ,“Hate that this is the first year for pep-squad and our last year at Merion, however we are so glad that we have created a pep-squad for the girls coming after us.”

The Merion community had a memorable night at Pack the Cave and we are looking forward to more events that support the Mercy Girl Effect Project!