With every new school year comes Homecoming time. Homecoming is a tradition that high schools and colleges have to celebrate and welcome back students to campus. Homecoming has been a tradition for high school students since the 1920s after the first homecoming event was held in 1910 at the University of Missouri.
For Homecoming this year, there will be a full week of festivities. This includes the annual Homecoming parade and football game. Homecoming week will take place from Sept. 25 through Sept. 29. The parade will be on Sept. 27 at 6 p.m., and the pep rally and the Homecoming game will be on Sept. 29. The game will take place at 7 p.m.
“To me, Homecoming is one of the signature events that high schools are known for,” senior Finley Gay said. “That’s why I’m so excited that it’s time for me to actually have a hat in the ring. It’s also just a fun experience I get to have with my peers in the Class of 2024.”
There is always a staff behind all of the celebrations at school. These celebrations take weeks to prepare, especially for the big night. This year, it was Student Council sponsors Erica Plutat and Beth Myers.
“We do the major planning for Homecoming,” Plutat said. “We then work with everyone to get the major plan done. For Homecoming, we made committees for the parade, the decorations, spirit week, etc. Then, we split up into our committees and get to work.”
New events and planning go into Homecoming every year. This year, Plutat decided to incorporate new activities that students could participate in.
“This year we are adding in a new student activity called Felix counting,” Plutat said. “We will have a guessing game throughout the week about how many times Felix is shown in the school. This will include on the walls, posters, plaques, and display cases. People can submit their guesses through a Google form, and the person who is closest to the number of Felixes will win a prize.”
Past winners and participants speak fondly of their experiences at Homecoming. For English teacher Tamara Minks, it was a shock when she was nominated in 1980.
“I was nominated by the French Club, even though I did not attend the meeting,” Minks said. “I told everyone that I just had the wrong date for the meeting, but the truth is that I did not want to be nominated at all. Someone nominated me, and the next morning, my friends rushed me in the hallway with the news. I was terrified.”
Back then, there wasn’t a king candidate or escorts, but with all of the excitement, Minks ended up winning Homecoming Queen.
“Luckily, two of my best friends were also nominated,” Minks said. “We had a lot of fun together since back in those days there was no king candidate. When I won, I was literally mobbed by the crowd, and I was really shocked. I had no idea that my classmates cared that much, and it did make me feel honored.”
Last year’s Homecoming King and Queen were Joseph Argueta and Halle VanCuren. For VanCuren, it was a shock as well when she was named Homecoming Queen, but she was very proud to be representing the Chinese Club.
“I was surprised and then excited when I was announced,” VanCuren said. “You never know what’s going to happen, so I was trying to not get my hopes up and enjoy being a part of the tradition and process.”
Now that Homecoming has begun, Plutat advises that all students and staff have fun and participate.
“Like I said before, it is lots of work, but so fun and rewarding,” Plutat said. “I love Homecoming. It is my favorite time of the year. All the fun and excitement really help bring life to the school. Please participate, dress up, come to the game and scream your loudest at the pep rally. It really is a fun time. Make the most of it.”
