After establishing your ethos, make an emotional plea to either keep celebrating homecoming the way it is currently at Elk County Catholic High School or to change the way we celebrate homecoming at Elk County Catholic High School. You should include in your argument all facets of the celebration including the weeks leading up to the event as well as the celebration at the football game and the dance. I will remind you, do NOT be a sophist. This is not designed to be a place to voice complaints, rather, it is a place to constructively discuss this high school's approach to homecoming weekend. If you have ideas that you think would make it better, share them. If you have an argument that warrants not having a homecoming, we will listen to that argument as well. But be respectful, or your post will be removed. And have fun with it!
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Happy Homecoming!
After establishing your ethos, make an emotional plea to either keep celebrating homecoming the way it is currently at Elk County Catholic High School or to change the way we celebrate homecoming at Elk County Catholic High School. You should include in your argument all facets of the celebration including the weeks leading up to the event as well as the celebration at the football game and the dance. I will remind you, do NOT be a sophist. This is not designed to be a place to voice complaints, rather, it is a place to constructively discuss this high school's approach to homecoming weekend. If you have ideas that you think would make it better, share them. If you have an argument that warrants not having a homecoming, we will listen to that argument as well. But be respectful, or your post will be removed. And have fun with it!
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Homecoming is a tradition at most high schools in America. Between the dance, the football game, the crowning of a queen, and spirit week, it is a fun and exciting way to show school spirit and have a more relaxed period of time in the stressful environment of school. There is nothing I would want to change about this event, I think it is an important part of high school.
ReplyDeleteThe homecoming dance is obviously the main event. All types of teens get to get ready with friends, dress up, and dance the night away. It is an opportunity for people to see and to have fun with people they don’t usually hang out with. It promotes people to have fun with each other. It is inclusive to everyone- sporty kids, hard working students, introverted classmates, and anyone else.
The night before the dance, the homecoming football game is played. It’s played at the home field so students, parents, and alumni alike show up to support their kids, classmates, and friends. At the game, a homecoming queen is crowned. The student body and the teachers at school vote for the queen. This is often looked at as a popularity contest, but I don’t see it that way. Stereotypically, the girl who is voted on is a mean girl, or a ‘tyramt’ in the school. In many past years, Elk County Catholic’s queen has been rightfully elected as a leader, a role model, someone to look up to. It is important that the teachers vote as well as the students, because they choose someone who is hard working and uplifting.
The week leading up to the dance is spirit week. Kids at school dress up and participate in a pep rally, amd school spirit is riled up through everyone. At the pep rally a spirit queen is crowned. This is someone chosen by the cheerleaders who they think has shown the most spirit and excitement through the week. Between dressing up, matching with your friends, and the events at the pep rally, every person is thrilled to be at school and apart of something with the whole student body.
Homecoming is a school tradition that means a lot to many students at school. Every aspect brings people together, makes everyone feel included, and allows us to have a fun time and let go in the school environment. There is nothing I would want to change about the way we celebrate it.
I enjoyed reading your take on Homecoming, Mary. It was interesting to read your summary about how Homecoming plays out. I would have just liked to hear more about why Elk County Catholic celebrates Homecoming so well in your eyes. Perhaps you could have even suggested even tiny things to change to make the weeks even more enjoyable. Other than this, your blog was a lovely write!
DeleteHomecoming has been an annual American high school tradition for decades. This tradition is a whole experience for a high schooler. To the weeks of preparation, the pep rallies, the homecoming court and their escorts, to the football game, the homecoming queen, and to the dance itself, allows the homecoming experience to be memorable. So, how can we remix this retro beat for Elk County Catholic High School?
ReplyDeleteIn recent years, attendance of our high school’s dances have decreased, thus being less successful in raising money for student council. This causes an issue with the internal economy at our school. Spirit week needs to bring back spirit! All days should be full dress down days and be more lenient on the dress code. Students other than student council and the cheerleaders should be involved in preparing the weeks beforehand and setting up for the dance. The protocol for the football game itself is perfect as is, if ECC is winning. Typically, there is a discrepancy between teachers and students over the music played at the dance. Specifically, Sweet Caroline is the cause of this. Students long to mosh and dance to this song. Like homecoming itself, it is tradition to play Sweet Caroline at the dance.
Though there is much that I would like to change about Elk County Catholic High School’s approach to homecoming, there are many things that are held near to my heart out of tradition. The announcements of homecoming court and the paper ballets are just endearing. The crowning of homecoming queen at the Friday night football game goes smooth without a hitch, and if we’re lucky, a tear-invoking ceremony. Homecoming court’s “entrance” at the dance on Saturday night includes everyone in that gym, coming together to congratulate their peers.
All in all, though our homecoming routine needs to be re-evaluated and make a few tweaks, Elk County Catholic’s is an invigorating experience.
I really appreciated how you called out your issues with our homecoming while still staying respectful. I also think you did a good job at making your emotional plea by using words such as “endearing”. My only issue is I didn’t see how you established your ethos, but other than that, great job!
DeleteI agree with your take on the allowance of students to dress down each day. If we allow the kids to kickstart their ideas and imagination, and moreover, have some fun, we can enhance the week much more. Good work.
DeleteHomecoming is a time to join together as a school and celebrate. The week is full of exciting opportunities that gives the students something fun to focus on. Every part of the homecoming experience is timeless and enjoyable. There is nothing that I would change about how we celebrate the occasion.
ReplyDeleteThe process of homecoming starts with the announcement of the court. The students are in charge of voting for people that are good examples to the younger grades. Then when it is finally the week before the homecoming dance, the school celebrates with special themed days. These days are meant to help the students come together and have a great time. It is really nice to be given the privilege to set aside our uniforms for a few days and wear our regular clothes. The last activity that everyone takes part in at school is the pep rally. The entire high school comes into the gym and watches the people on the court playing games and having a great time.
At the end of the week it is time for the homecoming game. The game is a great environment for past and present students to support their school. The game is fun, but the main event is the crowning of the queen. Everyone in the stands gets the pleasure of honoring the students on the court. Then once the new queen’s name has been announced everyone cheers and congratulates her.
To end off the important week students attend the dance on Saturday. People spend all day in excitement preparing for the big night. It is a great chance for friends to come together and enjoy each other's company. Once the music starts and people are dancing it really becomes a welcoming place for everyone. Every grade joins together and dances all night. It is a great way to have fun in a safe and responsible way. I think that celebration of homecoming at our school is great. We are given the chance to express ourselves in different ways throughout the week and then come together and make memories at the dance.
I love the way you wrapped up all the events occurring in the past few weeks. You were very neat in your word organization. Spirit Week really is a chance to express ourselves as the study body of ECC, and I never thought about it in that way before so thank you for bringing that up!
DeleteSome might remark that it is beneficial to gather a wealth of information and experience on a subject or destination prior to commenting on or traveling to either. I would have to agree and disagree with this statement. There are times where simply spectating or listening in on a happening will increase past knowledge of a topic at equal rates to those whom actually have the pleasure of experiencing said topic, even if it is first-hand. I, myself, am a student at Elk County Catholic High School, and despite the honest fact that I hopped off the “hype-train” of going to homecoming as a ninth grader, I still experienced plethoras what is called “Spirit Week”, pep rally’s, and—counting this Saturday’s dance—I will have attended three of these exciting boogies woogies. With the memory of the mindset I had adopted and groomed as a freshman, I find it easy to relate to those who are either apprehensive about heir first dance, or who are, like I had once been, embarrassed at how shy or awkward they may or may not be, or they simply have the understandable opinion of dances being “lame”. As a high schooler, and even as a blossoming middle schooler, one cannot help but be exposed to the preparations made for one of the biggest social events offered at Elk County Catholic High School.
ReplyDeleteDotted within the spots leading up to Homecoming weekend is the first and last days of Spirit Week, a week that is always designated as the final developmental plan right before the Homecoming football game and the dance itself. Spirit Week is filled with neat, little surprises. It is specifically designed to pump up each student’s pride in their school, making them twice as likely than before to attend both the game and the Homecoming dance. The cheerleaders serve as the week’s backbone and blueprint, as they are the ones, along with—of course—some of the teachers and head coaches, who plan the entire week’s events out. To be more specific, they do the layout organization of the student body’s attire for the week, or to put it simply, the cheerleaders pick out the clothing themes for each day of the week. Now, these cheerleaders are very, very clever. I praise them for that attribute. They, themselves, make up a good chunk of the percentage of the study body, so they have a well-rounded understanding of “what the people want” versus “what the people don’t want”. I absolutely love that about our cheerleaders. As I noted before, they are quite a brilliant-minded bunch. The seniors have a lot of “leeway” in this process, so it is their second-to-last call (last call goes to school officials for approval) as to whether or not a theme for a particular day is fitting. Due to the fact that they have so much liberty in this choosing, they can plan around each of the two retreats that typically affect high schoolers during Spirit Week. Seniors like to pick the theme they enjoy the least to be on Monday because that is ordinarily the day in which they all are absent on class retreat. Very clever indeed.
As sort of an “ominous umbrella” puffed out and press above the weeks that draw out prior to Homecoming weekend is the exciting question mark after the interrogative statement “Who will be this year’s Homecoming Queen?”. Such anticipation is placed upon this tiny inquiry.
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ReplyDeleteThere is usually a court for Homecoming that is made of five or six female candidates and their male escorts. This is a celebrated tradition dating back many years beforehand to commemorate the people’s choice as queen. The media, such as movies and internet, like to make the process appear to be a fierce popularity contest between the most gorgeous, well-known, and usually snobby girls, however, I don’t agree with that statement in the context of applying to Elk County Catholic High School. Yes, the girls that are on court are always beautiful looking, but the wonderful thing is that they are always just as appealing on the inside as they are outside. Our school really has a good understanding of who actually deserves the crown to be placed upon their heads, rather than who simply wants it to elevate their social status. This year’s Homecoming court was made up of girls who very much prove my point, all pretty with adoring morals and leadership skills. Also, instead of the girls advertising themselves, like how the media and movies enjoy making it seem, they quietly sit back and let their fellow students and teachers access their already-known characteristics and vote for them accordingly, it is a silent, almost “underground process, if you will, that has a duration of about two weeks preparation from nomination to crowning.
As I mentioned before, there are normally a least two retreats occurring during the span of Spirit Week. These retreats are almost always going to be senior and freshman retreats because they are honestly the most relevant classes of the year—seniors because it is their last year of high school and freshman because it is their first. Spirit Week gets these classes pumped up and motivated to contour their school year with smiles plastered across their faces and heads held high. Then there is the pep rally hosted traditionally on the last Friday before the dance: Friday’s Homecoming game. The pep rally is inclusive to every grade from sixth to twelfth; no one is left out. This preppy celebration of school pride has an array of friendly completion between each grade. It is so exciting to see what the cheerleaders have planned navies, again, they calculate it all. They award an individual student who displayed the most school spirit, a class, and, although they didn’t have time to do it this year, a team. The pep rally’s are a great fun and all, and they also do bring all the grades together, however it would be even better if they were longer than simply forty-five minutes. The cheerleaders simply do not have enough time to pull together a whole event at that massive scale and make everything flow smoothly. More often than not, pep rally’s feel forced, rushed, and the girls leading it sometimes don’t even sound like they are enjoying themselves. Due to this, I would like to suggest that the rally be extended from forty-five minutes to an entire hour, and hopefully the extra fifteen minutes will grant the girls more time to fit in all of their activities they have planned out. Then, of course,we have the Homecoming dance—a place for everyone to get their groove on and lose their worries about anything and everything for the next five hours or so and just enjoy being young.
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ReplyDeleteGirls can wear their dresses that they have been eagerly awaiting to show off, sometimes for months, or simply sporting off a cute set of nails they recently got painted, while the guys gather and laugh with their friends and dates without a care in the world. Even if you get you’re clothing last minute, like I normally do, it is still exciting. That’s the joy of it. Dances are not my thing, and I normally don’t have as much fun as I would like because dancing is an awkward activity for me to do, it is still a ton of fun to get together with friends beforehand and afterwards to hang out, eat with, and take a lot and a lot and a lot of pictures.
The overall structure of how Elk County Catholic celebrates Homecoming is brilliant enough on its own. It doesn’t need tweaking because it is already lovely. From the Spirit Week attire plan by the cheerleaders to the the manner in which the Homecoming Queen and her escort are picked. It is a lovely tradition hat many schools have, however, it feels much more intimate and special coming from our little Catholic school. We all know each other. We all know this week will play out, but if you just have fun with it, the week can be one of the most incredible times of the school’s year. There are so many kids that say Homecoming is their favorite dance, and this is said with good reason. Homecoming knits sports, school pride, and party moves all with the same thread and needle on the same tapestry.
This was so good Chelsea! It was obvious how much thought you put into this blog. It was enjoyable to read because of the wording and cliches you used. The wording also made your emotional plea and argument easy to understand and very respectful!
DeleteHomecoming is a tradition where people from your town, kids from your school, and alumni gather together to celebrate the school and it’s members, both past and present. Typically a football game begins the festivities, occasionally towns hold a parade as their kickoff event. The day after, a dance is held and students get all dressed up in their dresses and nicest shirt and ties. Homecoming, in my opinion is a very exciting event. For that reason alone, I would not chose to change anything about it.
ReplyDeleteAs a cheerleader, we plan the majority of the homecoming festivities leading up to the big game and dance. At Elk County Catholic High School, we hold a spirit week. During the week, each day has a designated theme where students and teachers get the chance to dress accordingly. On Friday, our ECCHS holds a school-wide pep rally to get students “pumped up” for the game.
The game itself is quite an experience, as it is always very well attended and the homecoming queen for the year is announced. I personally love the very simple, yet elegant way this event is presented. Being awarded homecoming queen is a very high honor for a female high school student. Needless to say, the suspense is high as all the girls wait for the winner to be announced. If waiting to see which lovely girl wins is not exciting enough, all of the candidates wear stunning gowns and are dawned in beautiful jewelry, that makes them sparkle from head to toe. As they each make their long awaited walk done the football field, the fans awe-stricken reactions can be heard from the stands. When the winner is announced they all erupt with cheer and praise. The winner of homecoming queen always has admirable attributes which make her a role model for the younger girls and an example for the school. So as a young woman myself, seeing another young woman get rewarded for simply being an exemplary student, player and person is a heart warming experience in and of itself.
Finally, after the game and festivities Friday held, the big day arrives — homecoming dance day! Girls begin their primping early in the day so they can look like visions to behold. As they meet up with their friends and or date, countless pictures are taken, delicious food is eaten, and more often than not, mass is attended. After said activities have taken place, it is then time to go to the school and dance the night away.
Our homecoming is held in the auxiliary gym, that is transformed into a beautifully decorated space filed with lights, flowers, and ECC ornamentation. A playlist, usually curated by our own school priest, Father Ross, is played extremely loud all throughout the gymnasium. Songs like Country Road and Sweet Caroline, get all the classes attending the dance in a large mosh pit to dance around in. This Elk County Catholic tradition has lasted quite some time and is still going strong. Once the dance is over, the sadness kicks in. Freshman can’t wait for the homecoming weeks ahead and seniors
are often melancholic as it is their last high school homecoming they will attend. However, this does not stop people from reliving the memories made during the week.
The Elk County Catholic High Schools homecoming celebration is always a one to remember. It is an all-around incredible display of school pride and spirit. The entire ECCSS community gathers together with excited hearts to celebrate the tradition so many schools around America take part in. Ours, however, is unique in its own special way. For all these reasons, and possibly a million more, I would not change a thing about Elk County Catholic Homecoming.
Great job establishing your ethos! The imagery you used was also great. We may have different views, but you brought up some great points in a very convincing manner!
DeleteThis post was very well done and an excellent read. One of my favorite parts was the way you pointed out that homecoming is not just about the dance, but also about all the traditions surrounding them. You did an excellent job, and I even found myself sharing your point of view on subjects where I actually had a completely opposite opinion!
DeleteAs a junior year student at Elk County Catholic, I have attended my fair share of school dances, including homecoming. Homecoming is a memorable part of every school year and it is something I really enjoy preparing for and partaking in. In just the few years that I have been attending our school’s homecomings, the dances have gotten stricter. I understand that we must have rules for our safety, which is something that is important to me. However, it is also important to me that everyone attending can have the best time possible. Many students do not like to attend homecoming because they find it boring. I feel that this wouldn’t be the case if we had a little more control over the music played, or even just being allowed to dance to Sweet Caroline. However, there is so much more to homecoming than the actual dance. There is the whole process of the homecoming court, which is very special every year. We have spirit week, dressing up each day in different themes. These dress up days help us build up excitement as we reach the final day of the week, where we dress up in school spirit clothing and have a pep rally. The rally helps us to prepare for the homecoming football game where our homecoming queen is announced. Finally the day of the dance has arrived, and everyone gets to enjoy a fun time with their friends and members of each grade. This dance is traditional all over our country. Each part of homecoming on its own is fun, but put together it makes up a great experience. Taking any of these parts away would not make it any better. However, I feel that the students being able to have more input would make the homecoming experience unforgettable. It remains relatively similar each year, which is not necessarily a bad thing. If students could give ideas for the spirit week themes, or made song requests that would actually be considered, these small changes could make a big difference. Elk County Catholic’s homecoming is a beloved tradition that I believe can only get better.
ReplyDeleteI really like your view on the homecoming dance. I agree with your points that the students should have more input on the activities that we participate in.
DeleteI think you definitely captured what homecoming is all about. There are some restrictions when it comes to our school and their policies, but I think we just have to make the best out of it.
DeleteIn the fall of 2019, I and other cheerleaders have already done so much to get ready for homecoming. However, not only have we set up homecoming this year, but ever year since the beginning of Elk County Catholic High Schools homecoming tradition cheerleaders have been planning this week each year. There is so much work to be done for this week including picking a theme for the dance, choosing the spirit days, and planning an unforgettable pep rally. However, I believe all the hard work put in is worth it because this week is always super fun and full of school spirit. I think that the way we do homecoming is very traditional. Since almost all of our cheerleader alumni have created the way the Ecc homecoming tradition works, I think we should respect all the work they put in by not changing how they designed this week. Other than wanting to respect the way the cheerleaders have planned our homecoming, I wouldn’t change it anyway because of how spirited our homecoming week is. The homecoming game is full of spirit because of the queen crowning which is an amazing event. All of the homecoming court dresses up and one girl is crowned. The way ecc does the crowning is a beautiful experience, and is very respectful for the girls who don’t win. Another point to bring up about ECC homecoming is the actual dance, which can bring in some mixed emotions and unpopular opinions. While most of ecc students enjoy the dance, there is a select group of people who often complain about the music choices. While I do agree that the music at our dances isn’t always new and popular with teens, it must be accounted for that we are a Catholic school. Going along with how respectful our actual spirit week and crowning is, I believe the music must also fit that criteria. Music at a dance doesn’t have to be provocative or include curse words for it to make for a good time. For this reason, I definitely wouldn’t change how the ecc homecoming is run.
ReplyDeleteThis was interesting to read, I guess I hadn't paid much attention to how much the cheerleaders do for homecoming. I agree with the part about the music choices sometimes too, but it is our job as Catholics to rule out possibly inappropriate things.
DeleteYour perspective on why we shouldn't change our homecoming is one I had not considered. I can definitely relate, because as a member of the competitive cheerleading team, I understand the hard work put in to planning activities for your fellow students. Each year, my team is heavily involved in the Catholic School's Week celebrations, which we plan a pep rally for. Fitting these preparations into our busy schedule with games and competitions is difficult.
DeleteAs a junior at ECC, I’ve been to my fair share of dances, and I’ve definitely come to form some opinions about our homecoming in particular. And being a high schooler, my friends and I have also done our fair share of trash talking the things we may not like about our school for time to time. One of which is the homecoming traditions, which means I’ve also got an idea about what kind of things other kids like and dislike as well.
ReplyDeleteOne of the first things that needs to change is the setup of spirit week. Every year, I get so excited for this week, and every year it is but another let down. So how do we fix this? How do we get the whole high school excited to come to school, at least for a week? Let’s take the pep rally for example. Whether a student loves the pep rally or thinks it’s stupid, it’s undeniable that it makes our school day feel a little more relaxed for a change. This is great of course, except for the fact that it is called spirit WEEK. So why do we limit fun events to just one day? If we added just one fun event every day, kids would get even more into that ECC spirit. It wouldn’t take much, but it would make a world of a difference to us students.
Of course there are still the dress down days throughout the week, but again, we only truly have two normal relaxed dress days. To be honest, I’ve never seen any sense in the accessory days, nor have any of my peers. We’re allowed to do all but completely cover up our uniforms in accessories, yet we’re still required to wear the same old, uncomfortable uniforms underneath. The accessory days are so far removed from the normal dress code that it seems ridiculous to cling to it at all. The purpose of the uniform is so that the students look, well, uniform. So what purpose does it serve on a day where we all look different in the first place. After all, it’s really not helping anyone to continue wear school uniforms underneath, and it wouldn’t affect our education in any way to change it, which of course should be the school’s primary focus. Once again, it is a small tweak that would make a tremendous difference to the happiness of the student body.
As for the crowning of the homecoming queen at halftime, I wouldn’t change a thing. Not only is this an ECC tradition, but it has been a tradition of all high schools across America for decades, and something as beautiful as that should never be tampered with. The whole night is one filled with happiness, joy, excitement, and maybe even tears, so who would I be to tell people that they’re doing it all wrong. Just the same is true for the homecoming dance. While many students may be quick to blame the school staff if they didn’t have as much fun as they wanted at the homecoming, I truly can’t say that they’re doing anything wrong. In fact, if I were the one planning homecoming, I don’t think I could do as good of a job myself. Overall, there may be some things that I would change if I could, but in the end, homecoming is still huge blast, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t love it.
I agree with your point about squishing all the events into one day is a bit of a spirit killer. I feel like really going all out all week would really help people get hyped up for the dance. I also think that overall, the event is put together quite well.
DeleteI agree with your idea about adding activities to each of the day of spirit week, to really allow everyone to enjoy the most of their spirit week. Of we just prioritize Friday as the only day to have some fun, we cannot really let go and have some fun all week.
DeleteI had never really thought about how spirit week is really limited to one exciting and special day. I throughly enjoyed your take on this topic. I think you added enough positive opinion but you mixed in your issues with the subject as well. This made for a very personal and candid read. Well done!
DeleteAt ECC, homecoming is an exciting tradition that allows the students, teachers, and all faculty to relax, and slow down for a few days out the hectic 180 school days. During spirit week, the week leading up to the homecoming dance, all teachers and students are given the chance to dress down into relaxing clothing, and students battle each day to see who is the most spirited by wearing clothing that represents each day’s theme. The week is ended with a pep rally where games are played by students chosen at random, and it helps everyone have a little fun through all of the troubles high school may bring. On Friday night, the high school’s football team plays in the homecoming game at home against a traveling opponent. Here, all students from every grade attend and cheer on their fellow classmates, and at halftime of this game, a homecoming queen is crowned. The next night following, students have the chance to dress up and go dancing with their friends at the homecoming dance. The dance is all night with plenty of music, food, drinks, and laughs. Though all is fun, and helps everyone let loose for a week, I still believe there can be a few adjustments to really being out the Crusader spirit in everyone.
ReplyDeleteThe main goal of spirit week is to get kids excited for their school, and build some school spirit. How can this be achieved? Well, first and foremost, the school should allow the kids to dress down each and everyday for this week, not just making it an “accessory only day.” The students already give a great effort in being unique with their different accessories, but how fun would it be to see the students go all out in different sorts of costumes and such? It is understandable to say that some kids may go the extra mile, but is that not what we want to do when we show our school pride? We want everyone to get involved and really get into the week. There could be so many different ideas, and kids could work with each other on different sorts of costumes, which would really make the spirit week one to look forward to.
The pep rally is always the last part of spirit week to bring the whole school community together and allow for some, not only school pride, but also class pride, as each class battles to be the most spirited class in the school. Everyone always has a laugh or two at the pep rally, as different teachers, younger or older, get involved in some of the games that make the rally that much more excitable. Some of these crazy activities included in the past were throwing a pie in a teachers face, musical chairs, and teacher versus student bottle-flipping challenges. The pep rally is a smart way of building stronger connections and friendships between teachers and students, unless of course you’re the teacher getting hit by a pie! So if this rally brings our school closer together, why not include these activities all week? This spirit week is only one time a year, and it would help liven up this week so students can enjoy their school, and maybe even help kids who may want to transfer to ECC come. If a student saw pictures and videos of these types of activities displayed at ECC, he would be enticed to come and participate in the fun!
From the dressing down, to the games, homecoming queen crowning, and the dance, Elk County Catholic’s spirit week truly allows students to be themselves, in an environment that stereotypically does not allow for that. I believe we are blest to have such a close school that we are able to share the experiences and memories with each and every person. Though their could be some minor adjustments to help for a more fulfilling week, I truly think that spirit week is a week that means so much to our school, and I hope it continues to strive through the years to come.
Homecoming is a very important celebration shared between students, faculty, and staff in high schools all across America. It is a relaxing time for people to be able to unwind, have fun, and show off their school spirit. It is a very important and enjoyable event, and I wouldn’t change a thing about the way our school celebrates it.
ReplyDeleteThe week leading up to this event is known as spirit week. During this week, there are themes picked out for each day. Students, faculty, and staff accessorize or dress down according to the themes. These days allow our school to have fun, relax, and come together as a community. During this week students also vote for a homecoming queen. There are usually five candidates from which the students are able to pick from, and the winner is announced during the homecoming football game, which is also a vital part of the celebration. At the game, students, staff, faculty, and alumni come together to root for the home team.
to close off the week, there is a big dance. In the hours before the dance, students excitedly get ready with their friends, take many pictures, and sometimes go out for dinner. During the dance, students are able to let loose on the dance floor with their peers, and make memories that will last them a lifetime.
The celebration of homecoming will forever be one of the most important events of high school, and our school does a great job at celebrating it. It brings together a school community and is a great way to spark school spirit.
While I wouldn’t keep everything exactly the same, I think you did a good job picking out the best parts of the dance. It really is a great time if you make it one.
DeleteAsk any student if they’d enjoy a way to let off some steam and forget about the school year, and you’ll be overwhelmed with positive responses. That’s what homecoming is, or is meant to be, for highschool students. It’s not doing such a great job of that anymore. I’ve been to countless school dances and participated in my fair share of spirit weeks. There’s nothing I want more than my fellow students to be satisfied with the homecoming dance, (Student Council member here), while safety and moderation are constantly on my mind.
ReplyDeleteIt’s no secret, less and less people are going to dances these days. Always more freshmen, excited for the dance, less sophomores, hopes not so high, barely any juniors, and then there’s the seniors who only show up for the nostalgia, knowing it’s their last year. So what happened?
Well, let's start at the beginning. Spirit week is meant to get students hyped up for the dance to come. To get students to even go in the first place. So if attendance is down, we know what caused it. Students aren’t excited anymore. I remember last Tuesday, constitution day, one of my classmates had american flag socks which he had his pants tucked in to. He was excited, ready, and proud. As he proudly strutted down the hallway, he passed a teacher, who, upon seeing his socks, instead of acknowledging and appreciating his effort, decided she would scold him for breaking the dress code (socks apparently must be tucked under the pants).The strutt turned to a shuffle, and not the electric kind. His proud demeanor turned resentful, for why was he being reprimanded for having spirit? Sure, rules are rules, but if you want to raise spirits, is that truly the way? Let me call to mind a much more egregious example. I had not worn ECC colors on School Spirit day, because I truly did not know it was mandatory. Well the aforementioned teacher took it upon herself to make it painfully clear that it was mandatory. A fit was thrown. A full adult, and a screaming fit was thrown. Why? I hadn't worn school colors Glad to know that Spirit week means that spirit will be forced upon you, whether you like it or not. Bit of a paradox.This highlights the overall attitude surrounding the homecoming dance, and therefore the problem. Students are looking for a stress free weekend where they can simply let back and bust some moves. But when they see the way some teachers won’t chill out and let the kids be kids, they are turned off and just stay home. So how do we, as intellectuals, fix this problem? We raise the ticket prices and pretend our attendance isn’t plummeting. Because that will work. Glad we have an Economics course at ECC, or we might accidentally use financially ineffective tactics to try to solve our problems...Oops.
John, although your post is, should I say, brutally honest, I have to say I loved it. The way you voiced your opinions, though brash, on the homecoming festivities was done in such a cerebral manner. This in and of itself is, in my opinion, an art. For this reason alone, your post really grabbed my attention. Overall, I really quite enjoyed your blatant honesty.
DeleteYou make a great argument, John. It is shown clearly and respectfully. I never personally thought of homecoming this way because I naturally am l a very fun and spirited person. Seeing homecoming from another point of view is very cool. You made me see a new side of things.
DeleteI am what most would call a very typical teenage girl. I love myself a good high school dance. As of yesterday, I have attended three homecoming dances, and watched my sisters go through the whole process many many times as I was growing up. Homecoming is fun, but why do we do it?. Ever since I was little, I watched and accepted that one weekend in the fall, there was a football game, everyone got dressed up really pretty, and went to a dance. But what exactly makes this so special?
ReplyDeleteFor ECC and most other schools, the festivities start with a spirit week. I’m not a huge fan of dressing up, but this is one of my favorite parts of the whole ordeal. School spirit isn’t anything like what it used to be, and that is really sad. Spirit week is a great opportunity for us to come together and be proud to be crusaders. This time is great to show some appreciation for the athletics and other programs and all the effort that goes in to them. The unity that spirit week creates is awesome, because it isn’t the event itself that makes the weekend fun, it’s the people involved.
The contest for homecoming queen along with the game are the next aspect of the event. While the competition seems like the root of lots of drama, which it can be, I think it’s a great way to congratulate the girls chosen for being so sweet and kind all through high school. At ECC, it’s not about who is prettiest or most popular, it’s based on who is a genuinely good person, and I really like that. Combining the beautiful dresses, girls, a chilly fall night, and a football game really captures the essence of American high school. It’s the same thing every year, but it never gets old, and never fails to feel magical.
Finally, the dance. To be honest, it’s my least favorite part. I enjoyed it my freshman year, but unlike the game and spirit week, it gets old. All the drama around dates, plans before the dance, and finding a dress is not something I enjoy at all. Maybe it’s because there are so few people at actually go, or maybe because the music is not everything it could be, but the dance itself is not much fun at all. The only way to fix that is to go crazy, which is exhausting. However, its all part of the experience, and overall I think our school does an alright job of facilitating a means of sharing these memories with the people I love.
I agree that picking out a dress and making plans can get old. The school spirit is definitely not what it used to be, but i think if we find new ways to celebrate, it could get better.
DeleteI was very impressed on how extensive your breakdown of the homecoming traditions was, and some of them opened my eyes to problems I hadn’t even considered, such as the trouble of trying to bring a non-ECC kid to homecoming. Also, as a male, I hadn’t ever considered how other high school girls might feel degraded in the process of voting for “the best” homecoming queen, so that was an excellent point.
DeleteI love how you explained the only way to enjoy the dance is to “go crazy”. And you’re right, it can be exhausting. I know you and I know you do just this. I love the way you described how and why the dance gets old and looses its flavor. I agree, and i think somehow getting attendance up and adding some good music could help make it more fun.
DeleteSince about the 19th century, homecoming has been a popular and well respected tradition. It is done every school year and usually takes place in September. It is annually the most common way to kick off the school year, besides the bonfire, especially at ECC. The homecoming game, dance, and the week leading up to it is a fun, spirited time. But some aspects of homecoming are overlooked.
ReplyDeleteMy gripe about homecoming is that it is really the one time during the school year that we can show our support for our team/school. I think spirit week, although a fun time, could be amped up more and more to be a week of fun. Being a private school, we have to wear uniforms, so spirit week should be a full week of being allowed to dress down. I do not dislike the uniforms too terribly but they just get extremely boring. The themed days of spirit week would be much more fun if we could wear what we want for the week.
It seems slightly contradictory, however, because it is a lot of hyping up for just one game. We obviously want our team to do good, but spirit week seems aimed towards spirit week and the dance. The game definitely gets lost in all of that. Speaking of the dance, it is definitely a lot of fun, but ECC’s homecoming dance is sort of a hassle. I understand the money needs to come from somewhere to host the dance, but it is getting a little absurd. It seems like the ticket price for the dance goes up two dollars every year, and the pass needed to bring a non-ECC student is irritating. I understand also that it is for safety and everything but that coupled with the price seems to kill the mood.
I think it’s fun to see homecoming court and everyone voting who they want, but it is just an invitation for conflict. I don’t have many complaints about homecoming, but the homecoming court ceremony and everything is a little much. It’s like you feel the tension in the air when people were bickering over who deserved to be crowned queen. There is a very toxic stigma surrounding prom/homecoming ‘royalty.’ Especially today, there is a massive problem with people having self esteem issues. To me, voting who is the ‘best’ or who ‘deserves it’, is pretty outdated, and slightly cringey. Maybe, at some point in the future, there will not be a need to have this. At the end of the day, homecoming is a fun way to support your school and have fun.
I could not agree more with your points about spirit week. There simply is not enough spirit raised to make the dance worth it. And the ticket prices are also ridiculous, like you said. Great read.
DeleteI found your points about the homecoming court very easy to agree with, even though I do not share your opinion. I love seeing the process of the homecoming court unfold each year. While I find homecoming to be a good experience overall, I agree that there are changes that could be made. You did a good job sharing these points respectfully.
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