By Maddie Jewett

It seems like each year, with a new batch of Freshmen rolling into the Upper School, there is a new sense of excitement to the production that is Homecoming and everything it brings. The dance usually falls on a late October weekend or the first weekend in November, with this year’s dance and varsity football game falling on Saturday, Nov. 4. However, it is an ongoing joke and amusing tradition that the Freshmen are ready to start asking their dates to go to the Homecoming Dance during the first week of school. This joke proves true, as many are giddy and nervous, and each year the asks start earlier and earlier. For high schools and colleges around the country, Homecoming season is a time when alumni come home from college or take a visit back to their hometown and come together to watch a Homecoming football game and participate in dances and other traditions. Some Homecoming asks are simple, but some are very elaborate. People like to go above and beyond for Hoco asks and promposals.

A Freshman year Homecoming ask.

It is not just the clever posters and asks that are part of the hype. Collegiate sports are an essential part of the school’s culture because of the rivalries and excitement they bring. To start the fun, there is Spirit Week, where each day students are to dress up in costumes based on the assigned theme. In the past, the themes have varied, from USA Day to Adam Sandler Day. This year’s Spirit Week days were Pajamas and “Anything But a Backpack” Day, Holiday Day, Wild West Day, and Green and Gold for the Pep Rally on Friday, to kick off the exciting weekend. All of the varsity sports teams get to perform a dance or skit for the Pep Rally for the school as well. 

A Prom ask with a clever poster and balloons.

I love everything about Homecoming and the weeks leading up to it. Everyone is nervous and excited, and there is something in the air.

During this time, the Seniors are sentimental that this is their last Homecoming, and the Freshmen are ready to embark on the awkward journey of experiencing the Homecoming Dance with their date, with whom they most likely did not make eye contact with in the hallways in the weeks leading up to the dance. 

Because Homecoming is a dance for the whole Upper School, everyone has a different take on it. Charlie Miller (‘24) describes Homecoming and the weeks leading up to it as “really over-hyped, in my opinion, because it takes a lot of effort for everyone just to do the same thing.” On the other hand, Harper Hailes (‘24) says, “Homecoming week is one of the most fun weeks all year long.” Jack Dooley (‘25) states “I like Homecoming week, but the decorations and costumes can be a little distracting for me at times.” 

There has been so much change in the Collegiate community over the years, but Homecoming has stayed relatively the same. The Freshmen always ask too early, the Senior boys tend to wear custom cheesy suits, and it is a very spirited week for the community.

Another aspect of the traditions is the Homecoming Court. Before Spirit Week, the Upper School student body votes for five Senior girls and five Senior boys whom they think embody what it means to be Homecoming royalty. Then the top five are announced and referred to as “the Court.” At the Pep Rally on the Friday before the game, the Court performs dances and relay races, boys versus girls. The boys on the Court won this year. The King is announced at the end of the Pep Rally, and the Queen is crowned during halftime of the game the next day. Charles Nolde (’24) was crowned this year’s King earlier today.