Quote of the Week: Homecoming

When I was reading this week's The Teller, I was scouring the pages, searching for something worthy of the Quote of the Week.  I had several options, and couldn't decide which topic would be best to write about.  Then, I saw an ad for Homecoming activities in Gwinner last week.  The ad, in addition to an article about the recent school board meeting, made me think about Homecoming, and what it meant to me. It also gave me inspiration for this week's quote of the week.

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Nothing beats Homecoming in a small town.  Seriously. 

When I was in elementary and high school, I never really considered that Homecoming would be any different somewhere else, that it wouldn't include dress-up days, class competitions, and kangaroo court.  That was just how it was done, and I assumed that it was the same everywhere.

When my class was young, Homecoming rocked, and I remember looking forward to it as much as Christmas.  As we neared our final year at North Sargent, though, Homecoming activities started to drop off.  That, in our minds, was unacceptable, and during our senior year, we brought back some traditions that had disappeared, and began our own!  Lindy and I, with the help of our classmates, revived dress-up days, a change-collecting competition, a kangaroo court for the high schoolers who chose not to dress up, and an elementary pep rally complete with teachers showing off their butt-writing and worm-dancing talents.  We also organized the first ever high school powderpuff football game at NS, rooting the freshman and juniors versus the sophomores and seniors.  It was a blast, and most of these things are still done today. 

Homecoming in high school isn't really about people coming home.  I don't think I've been to Gwinner for Homecoming since my senior year of high school, 6 years ago.  But for high schoolers, it's an exciting week, filled with parades, pop (pppppp) parties, and a break from the everyday grind.  It's about tradition.  (Actually, it's supposedly all about football, but no one really remembers who wins the games, anyway.)

When I went to Jamestown, I wasn't sure what to expect for Homecoming.  For colleges, Homecoming is a better definition than it is for high schools.  In addition to the activities for current students, there are special events just for alumni.

Jamestown's Homecoming celebrations are pretty intense.  I mean, who will ever forget the "F U Mary" shirts that caused controversy during our freshman year?  Lots of daily activities, and parties, and a big football game.  But the atmosphere on campus, even on our very small campus, just wasn't the same as it was in high school.  There's no class competitions, and the Homecoming Court isn't your entire class.  Literally.  Still fun, just not the same.  However, I was lucky enough to see a bit of a Homecoming revival at Jamestown College while I was there, too.  We brought back a few old traditions like the burning of the J and a Homecoming parade.

Homecoming is about those traditions.  And school spirit.  And fun.  I'm friends on Facebook with a few of the students who are now upper-classmen at North Sargent, and I recently noticed them complaining online that the ever-popular Kangaroo Court had been eradicated from Homecoming festivities.  For those unfamiliar with Kangaroo Court, I pity you, but I'll explain it for you.  In Gwinner, every day is a dress-up day and if you're dressed up, you get a point for your class.  It's one of the competitions.  Class with the most points at the end of the week wins a pizza party.  But if you don't dress up, you may have to go to Kangaroo Court as punishment for letting your classmates down.  During Kangaroo Court, held in front of the entire school, K-12, you're given some sort of sentence.  Something funny and entertaining and embarrassing to do as punishment for not dressing up.  All in good fun.

Last year, an administrator at NS was worried that Kangaroo Court could be viewed as hazing.  I haven't walked the halls of NS in a long time, so it's possible that hazing happens there now.  It didn't when I was there.  Maybe it's a legitimate concern, but I doubt it.  Kangaroo Court was one of my favorite parts of Homecoming, so to hear that it had gone away was sad to me.

Luckily, two members of the senior class went to the School Board and pleaded the case for Kangaroo Court.  One said, "This is something we've loooked forward to since we started school here."  The other said, "We feel it's good for the spirit of Homecoming."  I agree wholeheartedly, and praise the girls for having the guts to go to a board meeting to talk to them.  I've done that, and it's intimidating, but if it's something that you believe in, you should stick up for it.  So what if it's just a silly ritual, a rite of passage?  It's fun, and encourages school spirit.  Ladies, your efforts brought back one of my favorite Homecoming traditions, much like we brought back traditions when we were in your position.  Congratulations.

North Sargent celebrated Homecoming last week, and Jamestown College is celebrating Homecoming week as I write.  I don't know why, but this is the first time I feel the urge to come home for Homecoming.  Maybe it's because I live farther away and going home would be more significant.  Maybe I am just longing for the feeling of a small town or campus community.  Either way, best of luck to the Bulldogs and the Jimmies.  To you current students, enjoy small-town Homecoming while you can, because there's nothing like it.