Autumn is a time to celebrate traditions, and after kicking off another school year, the students of Camas High School celebrated one of their favorites. Homecoming is an annual tradition that has been held for many years. This tradition of welcoming students back to school helps to create unity and pride. Homecoming week was held October 17-22 and was filled with several exciting events!
Spirit Week
The celebration started Monday, Oct. 17., when the first day of spirit week began. This year’s spirit week themes started with crazy school picture day and was followed by prep school, favorite holiday, and bohemian. Students and teachers had a great time stepping outside of the norm to join in on the fun. Students and teachers had a great time stepping outside of the norm to join in on the fun.
One of the favorite looks of the week had to be Mr. Farland’s crazy school picture outfit. Farland rocked a plaid pair of shorts, suspenders, bowtie and pigtails. Favorite holiday day seemed to be a real hit as well. Some of the holidays that were represented were Christmas, Halloween, and the 4th of July. The week wrapped up with the traditional color wars, and the halls were alive in red, black, white and gray.
Hall Decorations
These colors were echoed in the class hall decorations. The halls were decorated by the ASB and volunteer students on Monday night. Each class had to come up with a way to implement their school color into their decorations. Some grades covered the walls or decorated lockers to bring in their color.
The senior class dominated with a Crime Scene theme. Walls were covered with black paper and “blood” stains, while WANTED posters of Mr. Marshall and several others of the administration were posted around the area. Tape outlines also covered the floor and MISSING posters for Joe Papermaker led students on a chase around the school to see who could find him first.
The juniors followed with a Circus theme, and the sophomores joined in with clouds of white dreams. This year’s freshman class participated by representing the four seasons. Overall, hall decorations added to the excitement of the week and helped to create unity within each class.
Assembly
Friday afternoon, the school gathered together for the annual homecoming assembly. At the assembly, students were wowed while the dance team and the varsity cheerleaders performed. There were also several other activities designed to get more students involved.
Some of these activities included class karaoke and half-court shots for a chance to win a hydro blaster. Paige Fuller, freshmen, was one of 15 chosen to participate in the half-court shot. Fuller admitted, “It was scary! But I did ASB last year, so I was used to being in front of big crowds.” Fuller also explained that while she had played basketball before, she “had never made a half-court shot.” Unfortunately, none of the participants were able to sink the basket, but a new group of students will have a chance during future assemblies.
The student body was also reminded to be “so smart” in making choices after the dance. Mr. Williams compared the student body to youth when he was in high school. Williams pointed out that Camas students had learned the importance of tying their shoelaces and not wearing jeans five sizes too big. He then encouraged everyone to make similar smart decisions after homecoming, such as getting into the right car and making sure everyone arrived home.
Parade
Leading up to the football game, the annual homecoming parade took place at JDZ, Friday night. The parade was an opportunity to involve Skyridge Middle School and Liberty Middle School in the festivities by including their marching bands. Claire Burch, freshman, said she enjoyed, “The candy and watching the floats.”
The parade also introduced the homecoming court with their own float. The homecoming court included Lauren Hudson and Chase Mecham, freshmen; Lauren Radly and Quinn Walker, sophomores; and Lauren Fritz and Ryan Golb, juniors. The senior court included Max Puzzo and Gena Franco as Duke and Duchess, with Olivia Dennis and Lexi Sabatini as princesses, and Dylan Ingram and Malvin Harrison as princes. The 2016 Homecoming King and Queen were David Aarhus and Emily Karkanen.
Football Game
After the parade, the rain didn’t stop the CHS football team from dominating their last home game of the season. The Papermakers defeated the Sunnyside Grizzlies, 37-12. Claire Jones, sophomore, attended the game and said, “My favorite part of the game was being there with my friends.” However, Jones admitted she didn’t enjoy the “Camas weather.”
The halftime show was a performance by the CHS Band, put together by students Stephanie Knight and Lydia Ross, and led by Mr. Mancini. The show encompassed the homecoming dance theme, “A Night in New York” and included two famous songs, “New York, New York” and “On Broadway”. The performance was designed around a date in the city, and ended with a Homecoming proposal as the couple floated around the Statue of Liberty while the band played “America the Beautiful.”
Dance
With the ASB in charge, the homecoming dance on Oct. 22 was a hit. The theme, “A Night in New York”, was chosen through an ASB retreat. Emma Jones, senior and ASB president told of the preparation: “Everyone comes up with ideas, maybe what they have seen other schools do and then we narrow it down. Once we get to the top three [themes] we vote, so it is not biased.” The theme was incorporated into the decorations with the New York skyline, a road walkway, feathers, and lots of sparkles.
Marissa Tehrani, Junior, explained, “My favorite part was seeing how happy and how much fun everyone was having.” Tehrani compared this year’s homecoming dance to last and concluded, “This homecoming was way more energetic and had way better music.” Marissa also noticed there were “more people involved’ than in the previous year.
By the end of the celebration, the students were sad that is was over, but in a short year the activities will be back to bring cheer to the students of Camas High.