Ah homecoming, the time of the year that everyone looks forward to. Friday night lights, voting for court, waiting to hear the theme, watching the parade, dressing up, and having fun- homecoming is the start of the new school year. It’s where graduates and current students come together to support their community. 

This year’s homecoming was hosted on September 21, 2019, and the theme was “decades.”

A lot of students do not know why we have a theme or how much work goes into picking and decorating for it. 

“The purpose of having a theme is to know how to decorate for the dance and what the float’s need to be,” said Student Council advisor Carrie Korenke.  Having a theme for homecoming allows student council to accessorize the float in the homecoming parade and it allows them and the volunteers to enrich the gym and the hallway to add to the students enjoyment. 

A lot of work goes into picking a theme, said Korenke, and Student Council members begin thinking about it before the school year even starts. Members put their heads together at the end of each previous year to come up with a theme for the next year. They do this by writing the ideas on the board and vote. Student council then comes together in the summer to start preparing the order for the decorations and supplies. The theme is usually announced a couple of weeks before the dance when the date and prices are released.  

“I don’t think it needs a theme, but it makes it more fun,” said sophomore Mallory Tepley. 

A lot of work and preparation leads up to the big night. The week of homecoming, Student Council begins to put together the decorations after school all week. After the queen is announced at half time, they go back to school to start putting up the decorations in the hall. On the day of homecoming, they meet in the gym with some volunteers and put the finishing touches on their work. 

This year’s court consisted of Halle Landies running with Ryan Bluemmel, Caleigh Dawson with Kenny Leach, Annabelle Leibhardt with Marcus Chauby, Clare Myeroff with Jude Taddie, and Ashley Paterson with Mitchell Cormiea. King and Queen this year were Caleigh Dawson and Kenny Leach. 

“Being on court was a memorable and honoring experience and it made me appreciate our school and community that much more,” said Dawson. 

Overall, this year’s homecoming was a success.