Homecoming week includes fun for everyone

posted on September 25, 2012

Thrills and chills, sports and costumes, pies in the face and revolting food concoctions on the plate, blazing flames and glittering hair…Homecoming 2012 had it all.

The week kicked off on Monday (costume theme: Gender-Bender Day) with lots of preparations for the big day. Auditions for Friday’s talent show were held on Monday, and an assembly was held in which Davian Stands ’16 was chosen as this year’s Miss Maȟpiya Luta. After school, students worked to decorate the hallways, gather wood for the bonfire, and put together floats for Friday’s parade.

Tuesday (costume theme: Nerd Day) and Wednesday (Backwards Day) continued the festive spirit. Hallway and float decorating continued, and students gathered rags to cover the giant metal “RC” which would be lighted on fire in conjunction with the bonfire. A “Powder Puff” football game was also held after school on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the costumes were more various. The dress theme for this year’s Homecoming Week was “movies”, and each class dressed in keeping with different categories of movies: the

seniors' theme was cartoons, the juniors’ theme was horror/thriller, the sophomores had science-fiction/fantasy, and the freshmen had action-adventure. These themes would also be reflected in the decoration of each class’ floats.

The second-most-awaited event of the week – the homecoming bonfire – occurred on Thursday evening. The event kicked off with a “Fear Factor” competition between male and female representatives from each of the four high school classes. Students competed while blindfolded to see who could choke down disgusting food combinations without gagging or getting sick. (One concoction contained the revolting combination of sardines, baby food, onions, and tuna fish.) Senior Bryan Pipe On Head emerged as the overall winner.

Before the bonfire was set ablaze, an honoring was held for the firefighters who were there to ensure the safety of the event. Earlier this month, a series of massive wildfires scorched much of the area, and the firefighters are credited with saving many people’s homes. If fire has gotten a bad reputation around here lately, however, it was anything but obvious from the excited and amazed reactions to the towering inferno that was created when the firefighters lit the fuse!

Friday – the big day – started out with faculty members judging the high school hallways. Everyone then made their way down to the bus garage area at the back of campus to finish float decoration. Once the floats were finished (and once everyone had their faces painted in patterns of blue and white), the parade commenced. Elementary and middle school students lined the school driveway, excitedly pointing and waving at the passing vehicles and floats, while upper school students tossed candy to them. Librarian Jacob Vocu and Lakota teacher Philomine Lakota used the school sound system to act as deejays, and the parade proceeded to the tune of upbeat music.

The parade was followed by the tug-of-war competition, which pitted all of the classes against each other, and also against the faculty. The juniors emerged as the overall winners in this event. Next came the pep rally, in which all athletic teams were recognized and honored. Prizes were also awarded to classes who had won the various competitions over the course of the week, with freshmen cumulatively winning the dress-up contest from their participation in the various theme days over the course of the week, and seniors winning in the hallway decoration, float decoration, and parade categories. Senior sponsor and Lakota studies teacher Roger White Eyes also received a very special prize that was chosen for him by the student body: a cream pie in the face, courtesy of Sr. Connie!

Next on the agenda was the announcement of the 2012 homecoming royalty, as voted on by the student body. The selections were as follows; freshmen: Henry Hawkins and Apollonia Deans, sophomores: Percival I'atala and Shania Janis, juniors (prince and princess): Tomoaki Shirataki and Monica Sanchez, and seniors (king and queen): Jin Yup Jung and Kerri DeSersa. A highlight of the ceremony was the first unveiling of the new homecoming crown, decorated in its entirety with beadwork by Vita White Eyes. This crown will be awarded every year from here on out, and each winner will sign the back until there is no more room.

The homecoming football game itself was close, if not the end result that everyone was hoping for. The visiting team, the Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Braves, defeated the Crusaders in a 12-6 matchup that was exciting down to the last minute. Despite the football loss, the week’s festivities left everyone in the Red Cloud School community feeling positive and buoyed by school spirit and a strong sense of camaraderie.

Thank you to RCHS student activities director Carla Jasso, to student council, to all faculty, staff, and parents who volunteered their time to make this week a success, and to all students who took part in the week’s events and kept everything so positive and enjoyable!

To see a photo gallery of events from Homecoming Week 2012, click HERE and HERE.