DEMOPOLIS-Friday’s pep rally at West Alabama Preparatory School had a much different look than in previous weeks. This weeks pep rally was dedicated to Whitney Martin, a senior who was seriously injured in a car accident last week.

Normally, the pep rally would have been geared toward preparing the Titan football team for last night’s opponent Central Christian. However, this week the idea was to rally support.

Lynn Compton, headmaster of WAP, said they wanted to let Whitney know they were thinking about her.

“We just wanted to do whatever we can to help Whitney keep her spirits up,” Compton said. “We want her to know that we are thinking about her and wish her the best.”

Throughout the pep rally students were given the opportunity to record video messages for Whitney. The cheerleaders also performed some of their traditional cheers altered to thrown support to their schoolmate.

Compton said the cheerleaders put the idea for the pep rally together.

“This was a total surprise to me,” Compton said. “The cheerleaders did it all. The first I heard about it was when I walked in this morning.”

She said each week the cheerleaders chose a theme to get the team fired up. This week they chose a theme in honor of Whitney.

“Each week they do a theme and this week they chose “Whitney is our Superstar,” Compton said. “They put up baby blue ribbons because baby blue was her favorite color.”

Compton said they were approaching this situation as a family and planned to pull through as a family should.

“We just want Whitney to know we are with her for the long haul,” Compton said. “It is easy for people to step up and help in the beginning. We are here for the duration. We are a family here and Whitney is an important part of that family.”