In a bold move to make Bear Rivers rallies more entertaining, Activities Director Jessica Lee came up with the questionable idea to replace their old and shabby bear mascots Boog and Baloo with live grizzly bears.
“I mean what could go wrong? They ARE trained by the one and only,” Lee proudly claimed.
The rally kicked off with the lights dimming as the giant grizzlies marched into the big gym. The students of Bear River began to cheer nervously, not sure to be excited or frightened as they had no knowledge of the guests’ appearance. “I thought it was pretty cool, but it was very surprising for sure,” said junior Evan Rabo.
But when the bears began to perform their circus acts, the human Bruins erupted in wild applause and cheers.
Meanwhile, Lee oddly never showed up to the rally and seemed to be missing, so the leadership students took it upon themselves to keep the show going. But as the rally went on many students began to worry about Lee’s whereabouts.
“I mean, I know Mrs. Lee had been training the grizzlies so I started to worry about where she was since it’s a dangerous job,” said freshman Keira Byrne.
After the rally ended, The “Circus at Bear River” became the talk of the small town. The front office was flooded with calls as many parents began to express their concern for their child’s safety and animal activists swarmed the front of the high school.
Assistant Principal Cathy Peterson remained unfazed, insisting that the bears were perfectly safe and that any injuries sustained were just part of the thrill of school spirit. But many Bruins had differing opinions compared to the public and claimed that they were satisfied with this new additive to the rallies and wanted to see more
“We’re planning to incorporate more thrilling stunts at the next rally,” Peterson claimed after they heard the students’ approval.
As the leadership students piled into Lee’s classroom, things took a harrowing turn as Lee’s absence became apparent to all.
Rumors ran rampant, with some students suggesting that the bears had turned on their trainer or even that she had left with the circus and given up her position as the leadership teacher.
Despite the concerning evidence, Peterson and Principal Chris Roberts refused to acknowledge any connection between Lee’s disappearance and the grizzly bears. However, Bear River no longer does these extravagant rallies due to an accident between a student and Boog the grizzly.