Homecoming, with its roaring crowds, packed dance floors, and rousing school spirit, has not occurred at the high school since 2008. This year, however, the senior class officers, Asia Foland ’25, Grace Hill ’25, Emily Hinderliter ’25, and Eddy Su ’25, decided to bring it back.
The class officers have worked for over a year to bring the October 18 and 19 homecoming events to life.
“We started dreaming up the idea of [homecoming] during the fall of 2023,” said Hill, “and began to nail details down in May 2024.”
Other mainstay celebrations at the high school such as prom, class dances, and the pep rally have been in place for years. To add a new event, the class officers worked from their planning meetings up to the high school administration and town organizations.
“This process has more behind-the-scenes work and communication than I could ever express in a few sentences. Over many months, there have been hours of meetings, phone calls, permits, emails, spreadsheets, letters, presentations, and more,” Hill said.
Homecoming events will take place across three locations, adding more complexity to the process — inside the high school, on the Hunnewell Fields, and at Darcy Field under the newly-installed lights.
“Over the summer, we locked in locations, dates, and permits. This fall, we’ve worked on advertising, vendors, volunteers, merch, security, and everything in between. The amount of dedication our team and the greater [high school] administration has put into homecoming is unmatched,” said Hill.
Campaigning for homecoming has not come without its challenges. Some community members were concerned about student behavior at the homecoming night football game. This fall, night games have already started, with an emphasis from the administration on appropriate behavior and a heavy staff presence at games.
“There have been challenges because this is a new event, and at the same time it is our first year having night games, and understandably, there are concerns about adding events on top of what is a big change for our community,” said Ms. Leah Marshall, a faculty advisor to the senior class officers.
In addition to concerns about safety and student conduct, the homecoming team dealt with other bureaucratic hurdles as well.
“We had many challenges with permitting and conflicts with other town events. Prioritizing everyone’s well-being was always at the top of our agenda during this long process,” Hill said.
After a year’s work, the class officers and their advisors hope the school community will enjoy the many events of homecoming.
“I hope students enjoy this weekend not only to connect with peers, but also to take a step back and appreciate [the high school] for more than just an academic environment. We can have fun and celebrate too,” Hill said.
For those hoping to propose future school-wide events, Hill offers some advice.
“Do not stop when someone doubts you. Have a plan, and a backup plan, and know what to say when those with more authority than you question your idea. Always think about the ‘what ifs’ of your process and answer those,” said Hill. “When you face adversity, remember your end goal and why you wanted to take on this challenge in the first place.”
For Marshall, after working with her team of both faculty and students, she sees class leadership as essential to realizing the hopes of the student body.
“Students should get involved and run for class officer and communicate with their class officers about events they would like to have happen,” Marshall said.
According to the senior class officers, their key to success has been assembling a strong team over their months of work.
“Working in a team is always the way to go with these kinds of events,” said Hill.