Before the Paly-Gunn football game on Sept. 23, hordes of Paly students turned up in the quad for food and fun. Although it finished sooner than planned, the rally was entertaining and enjoyable.

"It seems to be a huge success," Student Activities Director Joanne Vaars said at the beginning of the rally. "People are staying, and that’s always a good thing."

The throng of students pleasantly surprised Vaars, who was serving food.

"[The rally] is bigger than my expectations," Vaars said.

Free barbecue contributed to the popularity of the rally.

"I like the free food," junior Martin Fukui said.

Fukui’s opinion reflected the opinions of many other Paly students. At one point, the wait to receive food was nearly 10 minutes long. The wait time shrunk from 10 minutes to zero when Paly ran out of hot dogs about 20 minutes into the rally.

"I felt kind of disappointed about the food," junior Robert Tian said. "But 214 made up for it. Kevin Chen was awesome."

Indeed, 214, a rapping band comprised of seniors Kevin Chen, Greg Murphy, and Isaac Bauman, was the second spotlight of the rally. The threesome charmed other students with a steady tempo, pertinent lyrics, and mellifluous voices.

"They could actually sing," Tian said.

For nearly half of the song, two students fiercely debated whether 214 members were actually singing or were lip-syncing to a professionally written and sung song. The lyrics quickly convinced them that 214 sung their own lyrics.

"Guess what, Paly Football’s back/
And by the look of things, they’re on the right track/
They just can’t see/
Gunn can’t beat Paly/
Gotta live in reality/
Gunn control rally."

Though 214 only kept crowds at the Quad for an extra five minutes, it was significant that 214 got students to stay.

"The [Paly] band backed out of performing in the last minute," senior class president Robin Chang said. This could have been unfortunate for the rally, but "214 stepped up and did a really good job."

While 214 was a saving grace, the Gunn Control Rally could not have been possible without the efforts of the student council. Council members arrived at school earlier than usual to decorate the Quad. Green and white streamers brightened the buildings while colorful balloons added zest to the articles they were tied to. Chairs, tables, and food also needed to be set up.

Though the rally finished early, everything worked out in the end.

"It was better than I thought it would be," Chang said.