Welcome Students, to the 2024 Homecoming Games! This year our wonderful student council gave us a wonderful theme, the Hunger Games. Throughout the week StuCo has incorporated various aspects of the movies into our school. Due to inclement weather, the town could not host the homecoming parade on the leading Sunday. However, that did not stop the spirit the students brought into the school.
StuCo provided us with some very interesting dress-up days this go around. The days are as follows: Ballad of Songbirds (band or artist shirt), District Day (club shirts), District 12 vs Capital (comfy or fancy), Peeta and Katniss (rhyme without reason), and finally Reaping Day (black and gold). Each day students showed up and showed out, earning spirit points for their grades.
Because of the indoor pep rally’s success last year, it was held indoors again this year. To kick off the party, the band and color guard welcomed students to the gym. President Haley Tucker led the pep rally. Welcoming everyone to the 2024 homecoming pep rally, she and various StuCo officers welcomed each sports team, while the coaches introduced each player. After introducing each team, it was time to meet the 2024 homecoming court. Up first were the class representatives. Representing the freshman was Jazara Catchings and Mason Cureton, representing the sophomore’s was Maggie Wood and Maddox Knepper, and representing the juniors were Sydney Dunahoo and Carter Hale. Finally, it was time to meet the senior homecoming court. Starting off we had Haley Tucker, tennis, and Ethan Vance, cross country. Then we had Hannah Rehkop, gold dusters, and Easton Wood, football. Following is Nina Lewis, tennis, and Leeandrea Catchings, football. Up next was Ava Hovis, gold dusters, and DJ Baca, football. Finally, we had Lexi Rehkop, tennis, and Donnie Laut, football.
All 10 of the senior candidates participated in a fast-paced game, one that we had not seen before. The ladies started off by jogging in and out of a ladder holding a football before racing through cones on scooters while still holding the ball, then they had to stand up and make a bean bag into a hula hoop, before racing back on the scooters and giving the ball to their escort. Donnie and Ethan brought up quite some entertainment with their struggle to stay on the scooter, but in the end Ava and DJ got the win. After the court games were finished, StuCo created other new ones, where students of each grade could go up against each other. But before we could get to the new games, the annual scavenger hunt took place. 3-5 kids from each grade up stand in a hoop while the announcer calls out an item that must be found. They were not allowed to leave the hoop until the announcement was finished, and they can only get items from their grade. Every round a hula hoop was taken out, and eventually it was seniors against sophomores. In a very tight race, senior DJ Baca was able to pull through with the win once again.
After 3 more high stake games, all worth spirit points, it was time for the main event, tug-of-war. Every year tug of war gets more intense, each grade wanting to prove their strength. While it was close last year, the juniors were not able to win their first game, putting them up against the freshman for 3rd place, taking the win. The sophomore wins against the freshman and the seniors win against the juniors put 10th and 12th grade up against each other once more. In the senior classes’ whole time in high school, never have we seen such an intense game of tug of war. Last upwards of a minute or more, the seniors dominated over the sophomores, bringing them their final spirit point, the one that eventually won them the spirit stick.
Leading up to the homecoming game, it was time to decide the 2024 Football Homecoming Queen and King. To start the event, the grade candidates walked first, staring with freshman Jazara Catchings, Tennins, and Mason Cureton. Followed was sophomores Maggie Wood, Volleyball, and Maddox Knepper, Football, then juniors Sydney Dunahoo and Carter Hale, Band. After each representative walked, it was time to see the stunning seniors. Haley Tucker and Ethan Vance went first, then Hannah Rehkop and Easton Wood. Nina Lewis and Leeandrea Catchings walked third, followed by Ava Hovis and DJ Baca. To close off the seniors, childhood best friends Lexi Rehkop and Donnie Laut finished the walks. It was time for the highly anticipated event, the crowing. Your 2024 Football Homecoming Queen and King is Haley Tucker and Ethan Vance! Both were highly honored to take the title and couldn’t be prouder to represent their school.
This year’s homecoming was very special for this group of Football seniors. In the second half of the season last year the showed great improvement, and it continued into this year. For the game they were paired up against DeSoto, who we just happened to beat last year at their homecoming game. They went into the game with high hopes, but sadly it was quickly turned around. The Blackcats fought hard, but they were only able to score 20 points, while DeSoto scored 45.
While the game may not have gone as well as we could have hopped, we are immensely proud for the fight they put up. StuCo once again did a wonderful job hosting the pep-rally and the homecoming week. We hope students had fun taking part in this event and we can’t wait to see what’s planned for Basketball Homecoming.
