By: Rubee Stillwagon
Homecoming is much more than just a dance at GS. There were so many more activities that came along with it, such as Homecoming Court, the Homecoming Bonfire, the pep rally, the white out football game, the daily themes and lastly the dance.
The first big thing that happened was naming the 2024 Homecoming Court. This is where the senior class voted for seven senior girls who they thought would be the best fit for the Court. Then sophomores, juniors and seniors voted on who they thought should be Queen. This year’s Homecoming Queen is senior Lauryn Swierczynski.
The homecoming court and their escorts during halftime.
Photo By: Rubee Stillwagon
“I’m really pumped that I won and thankful I get to celebrate with my friends and family,” Swierczynski said.
The girls on this year’s Homecoming Court, other than Swierczynski, were Greta Hagofsky, Sloane Potter, Katie Shea, Anna Shevchik, Anna Spigarelli and Grace Sybesma.
“I would say my involvement throughout the school, like being part of sports teams, SCA, the Salem Psychos and just talking with lots of different people around the school helped with my votes,” Swierczynski said.
Homecoming Queen is a title given to a senior girl who is a respected and liked representative of their school and community. Swierczynski is a two-year Varsity Soccer Captain, has done Flag Football for two years, Senior Class Vice President, SCA’s Secretary for last school year, leader of the Salem Psychos and plans to attend a four-year college.
“It’s super exciting to know that so many people voted for me,” Swierczynski said. “I’m very blessed to have that kind of support.”
This year the annual Homecoming Bonfire was on Wednesday, September 18 at the high school.
This was an opportunity for students and their families to visit different clubs’ booths, participate in activities and see who was on the Homecoming Court.
“The bonfire has been around for years,” SCA Advisor Mr. Christopher Gazze said. “It used to be a Senior Night Bonfire many years ago and it was huge; there would be hundreds of people there. It then switched to a Pink Out Bonfire for a few years. And then Mini-THON had it for a year or two before we got it back and decided to make a full homecoming week.”
The bonfire gives clubs the opportunity to get more attention from students and the community. Most clubs set up booths with fun activities to add more fun to the bonfire. But the Homecoming Court announcement is what draws in most people.
“When we got the bonfire back, we decided to make a full Homecoming week,” Gazze said. “With the change of the pep rally format, bringing in the club festival, and having it more community based really makes it a full week of events.”
The Homecoming Pep Rally is a popular activity among the students. It is an opportunity for friendly school rivalry.
“I’ve been a part of the team for two years along with eight other juniors,” junior Maxim Topper said. “Being back-to-back winners for the pep rally is huge and it’s awesome to be a part of that school history.”
This year’s pep rally winners were the juniors, making this their second win in a row. To win, the class teams competed in a series of activities, but they aren’t the only ones that are put up to a challenge.
One of the competitions doesn’t require teams, but their entire class section. The competition is to see which section can be the loudest. This is a way to involve the students who aren’t on the team and keep the crowd interested.
“I think the best part was the spirit event at the end with the student sections,” Topper said. “It’s awesome to see my entire class join in and yell and chant altogether.”
The pep rally brings together students and is a way to show some school spirit and get everyone ready for the whiteout Homecoming football game.
The Junior class celebrates their win.
Photo courtesy: gslionssca on Instagram
Every year, Homecoming is represented at the Friday night football by a white out. To support this, Mini-THON sells annual White Out shirts. Mini-THON is a senior project that helps raise money for pediatric cancer and this is one of their many fundraising opportunities.
“I came up with a couple of designs for the shirts and then we discussed what was going to be the most popular among the students,” senior leader Grace Sybesma said.
The shirts are not only sold to high school students, but also the elementary school and middle school students.
“The shirts have always been a good way for Mini-THON to make money for the kids, but it also gives students something to wear for the white out game,” Sybesma said. “It’s great seeing everyone wear them during the game especially since it helps support Mini-THON’s mission.”
Another thing that students could participate in for Homecoming week were the themes.
“We had about eight themes presented,” Gazze said. “A couple of them overlapped and then we did a blind vote. There was actually a discussion on two and then they decided that one was better suited for prom, and one was better for Homecoming.”
These themes allowed students to wear something fun for the day and branch out from their normal attire. Monday’s theme was Wear Blue, Tuesday was Twin Day, Wednesday was Anything but a Backpack, Thursday was Surfers vs. Bikers and Friday was Class Colors.
“I enjoy doing the themes even if people look at me weird when I go all out,” Topper said. “It gives me the opportunity to add some fun to the school day.”
And lastly, the final activity was the Homecoming Dance on Saturday, September 21. The dance started at 7pm and went on until 10pm.
“We had somewhere around 390 students show up to the dance,” Gazze said. “Since we’ve started it it’s the biggest one we’ve had.”
The dance was held in the high school cafeteria and gym. In the gym students could listen to music provided by a DJ as well as play cornhole. In the cafeteria, food and tables were set up for students who wanted a break. There was also an area outside for students to get fresh air and cool off.
“I think it was super fun,” Sybesma said. “I liked the fact that there were cornhole boards in the gym so you could take a break but still listen to the music.”
Last year’s Homecoming Dance was the first one in four years at GS. Last year, SCA got feedback from the students so they could ensure they included everything they could to make it a memorable night.
“I think compared to last year’s dance this year was awesome,” Topper said. “I liked the DJ and although it was really hot, I still had a good time with my friends.”
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