The Cardinal Craze -  Homecoming Week

You always know when it’s going to happen. It starts with the bell ringing in the halls, and people talking about who they are going to the dance with and what to wear for it. Then, in the blink of an eye, the whole school turns red and white. The normal school feeling at Greenwich High changes into a widespread shindig of mirthfulness. This is not just any week. This is Homecoming Week.

The first fun day was Monday, which was called Red and White Day. This was also the day of our pep rally where team captains of all seasons were announced and cheered on by our spirited students and staff. Our Jazz Band performed for the entire school, which requires a lot of confidence! Hats off to them. The cheer team and dance team then proceeded to perform impressively choreographed routines, which was really refreshing to see. Finally, we had our mascot race which our beloved Cardinal graciously agreed to join. Creative and colorful staff members lined the starting line. Cheering erupted from all around the stadium as people rooted for the mascots they believed would win. In the end, our winner was Chewbacca, followed by the lobster. There was a huge traffic jam re-entering the school, so the next block was cut short for many students, but the chaos was in good fun and people (eventually) returned to where they had to be. Overall, it was awesome to see people walking to class wearing the colors of our school. 

Tuesday was Beach Day. Students and teachers alike wore Hawaiian shirts and flower necklaces, ironic because it was cold outside. Seniors dressed up in creative and colorful costumes on Wednesday which made it easy to see who was a senior and who wasn’t. It was an adventure walking through the hallways and running into a group of Ronald McDonalds, Trolls, Jedi, and Loraxes. Thursday, people dressed up in outfits that rhymed without reason! I saw nurses with curses, rappers with nappers, and many more. 

The excitement for the game really built up on Friday, October 10th, Class Color Day. The school hallways exploded with color. You could see a big crowd of freshmen walking around in blue, while the sophomores wore green, the juniors had on purple, and the seniors showed off in yellow. Seeing people dressed up for their grade made the competition feel real and got students and staff alike really hyped for the biggest event– the Homecoming game. 

On the Saturday afternoon on Oct. 11th, with people from the town watching, the pressure was building up. Our team played against Trumbull, and every time we scored a touchdown, it felt like the whole town’s victory. Each time our team stopped the other team, the audience cheered together. For that game, every individual became a lively moving wave of red, white, and excitement. The whole week was supposed to end with the big dance. People were really looking forward to it, but then, the dance was canceled. It was really disappointing for those who were planning to attend. However, even without the dance, the week was still special. It was a week of cheering and losing your voice from yelling too much, and school spirit. It proved that Homecoming is a tradition that brings people at GHS together. It was a crazy, fun, competitive, and unforgettable week that shows how passionate and how much spirit we have here in this building.