Homecoming is a big time for everyone. The whole community looks forward to that one week during the fall season. However, each school celebrates it differently. AHS does some of the same fun activities as other schools, but there are also a lot of differences.
AHS Student Council President Emma Winford explains that everything gets set up and organized far in advance for this fun week that everyone enjoys. During the week of AHS homecoming, each grade competes for the spirit stick which is awarded at the Homecoming game. Grades go against each other in many different activities to earn points.
At AHS, dress-up days are throughout the week, and dodgeball is played by the girls and coached by the boys. Each grade builds a float that is judged before the parade. Coronation happens at the pep rally on Friday after school. The senior class votes on who the seven girls and seven boys are on the Homecoming court. After the seniors vote, the whole high school gets involved and votes on who they want to fulfill the roles of King and Queen. After all the fun, Homecoming ends with a football game on Friday followed by the Homecoming dance on Saturday night.
Daphna Wahlert, a sophomore at CAM High School, said their week starts with coronation followed by boys playing volleyball and girls playing powder puff football. Dress-up days are throughout the week which are chosen by the student council. Later in the week, they perform their pep rally with the cheerleaders and elementary cheerleaders. After the pep rally, they have their Homecoming parade. Their game is on Friday which is followed by the dance on Saturday night.
Rachel Jensen and Kari Gray are in charge of planning and organizing everything for Johnston High School’s homecoming. Instead of a traditional coronation, JHS has been doing “Dragon Royalty” for four years now. Any student can nominate a senior to be on Dragon Royalty. After students are done nominating, the committee of staff members chooses 10-15 of the nominees. These staff members are looking for the most outgoing students, who have good leadership and the best school spirit.
Johnston starts their week off strong by painting their stadium for the game. The paint they put on their stadium washes off throughout the year which allows them to do this unique event every homecoming. After painting the stadium, they have their biggest event “Rock Around the Clock.” They have 46 different teams of 12 people and they play 16 rounds per minute to win games while competing with each other. Each team has a different color with a staff sponsor. They don’t have an overall winner, instead, they win by the top five. JHS likes to do these events on Sunday which allows more students to get involved and participate.
The Student Council is in charge of dress-up days throughout the week. On Thursday of that week, they have their Homecoming parade. Thursday night, there is an activity where the whole community gets together and watches an outdoor movie. Friday starts with their pep rally followed by the game. Last but not least, they have their Homecoming dance on Saturday night.
Homecoming is an enjoyable time for every school and it’s fun to see how schools celebrate this fun time in the school year.
