Every year, the week leading up to homecoming is a fun and interactive opportunity for all students to be able to engage with their school. Typically, Homecoming week has daily costume competitions, a game-filled pep assembly, and of course, the actual dance. A good chunk of the student body engages with and finds enjoyment in Homecoming week, making it a good time for all. 

This Monday, September 21st, was the first day of this week-long celebration. We started off with a “Beach Out” theme for our daily dress-up competition, which had 284 participating students. Monday had lots of Hawaiian shirts and leis, and with the girls, it was popular to wear plain black with bikinis on top. Freshmen and sophomores Mya Jenkins, Alex Chadeayne, Gerret Stechmesser, and Jackson Dehn, along with juniors Lizzie Davis and Ike Thompson, ended up winning best dressed!

Tuesday, September 22nd had a similar feel to it. Tuesday was a “BBQ Dad vs. Soccer Mom” theme, with a slightly lower 217 students participating. A lot of participants went all out, with grilling utensils, mustaches and beards, and even a decent amount of fake beer bellies! Seniors Paige Hotchkiss and Cameron Shufelt and juniors Chase Zimmerman and Reese Davis-Grandcolas came out on top of the grilling game, being awarded best dressed.

Wednesday was a bit more special because the theme for that day was class colors! Grades pitted against each other in the name of school spirit, seeing which of them could represent their grade the best. A whopping 455 students took part! Wednesday night was also the Homecoming parade and powderpuff game. The Homecoming parade had numerous fall sports and clubs decorate on-theme floats and throw candy in a slow round-trip of Waterloo, complete with a delightful performance conducted by our middle and high school bands and colorguard. Later that night, we had the powderpuff game, a grade-against-grade competition to see which has the best football players and cheerleaders, but with a fun role reversal. The juniors ended up coming out on top.

We returned to the feel of the beginning of the week on Thursday, with a charming “Gone Fishing” theme. Students were expected to dress as though they were just about to go on a fishing trip, but some really filled the boat! Out of 132 participating students, we had ten winners! Freshmen Olivia Rusteberg and Drew Castello, sophomores Delanie Mesa and Sean Carrigan, juniors Camden Meyers and Elizabeth Davis, and seniors Alex Hedtkamp, Cecily Steining, Paige Hotchkiss, and Mackenzie Crump.

The week ended big, with our annual homecoming pep rally! First, though, students showed their bulldog pride by dressing up in school colors. We had lots of winners from all grades. Freshmen Kensli Anderson and Carter Stephens, sophomores Mya Jenkins and Hagen Day, juniors Knox Groner and Scarlett Agnew, and senior Alyssa McClory. Then, after the regular school day was over, students and teachers headed to the gymnasium for a two-hour-long assembly. The assembly began with various school clubs and sports being represented via students pouring into walk-out songs and a run across the gym to their seats. There were performances from the band and cheer, and the choir led the gym in a beautiful singing of our national anthem. The highlight of the assembly was, of course, the competitive games! Grade representatives pitted against each other in fun competitions like guess the lyrics, human ring toss, and more. The Top Dog Trophy was awarded to our seniors, and freshmen won best decorated hallway. Future opportunities to prove your grade’s bulldog pride and win that Top Dog Trophy will be available in the future, so keep an ear out!