Rumors that T.R. Miller High School has discontinued its tradition of pep rallies is untrue, school officials said Tuesday.

TRM cheer coach Becky Edge said the rumor, along with another that the TRM band would be excluded from pep rallies, is “absolutely false.”

An online petition, currently being circulated via social media, is calling for the “bringing back of pep rallies…every week.”

Edge said this year’s pep rally schedule, which was set over summer,  is similar to last year’s with at least seven scheduled.

“I don’t know where this all came from, but we are going to have just as many pep rallies this year as we have ever had,” Edge said. “This year, we wanted to have different kind of pep rallies, maybe a water-themed one. It’s so hot in that unairconditioned gym that we thought it would be neat to have a pep rally outside Friday.”

But next week’s pep rally will be held in the TRM gym, Edge said.

“Maybe because we didn’t have one the Washington County scrimmage game, they think we’re not doing one,” Edge said. “And the idea that the band wouldn’t be included is silly. The band will play; parents are still invited. None of that has changed.”

Thursday night pep rallies are difficult to schedule because of the ongoing volleyball schedule, she said.

“There are a lot of factors that come into play when you try to put things on the schedule,” Edge said. “Sometimes we play very far away and it’s not feasible to have a pep rally.

“Everyone should know that no one is more concerned with Miller spirit and tradition than the current administration at TRM,” she said. “We are all about preserving what makes us unique, and that includes pep rallies.”