The week of September 23rd was an eventful one for Norwin High School. The school held its annual Homecoming festivities, which infused energy and school spirit into the student body. Students and faculty members were on their feet nearly 24/7 to prepare for the dance, carnival, and all of the other fun activities- all with the New York-inspired theme of “In the Big Apple.”
Homecoming season began with Spirit Week. Students dressed up and showed their spirit by dressing as the following themes: Tropical Monday, To the Future Tuesday, On Wednesdays We Wear Pink, Flannel Thursday, and Blue and Gold Friday. To the Future Tuesday was a brand-new theme for this year where teachers and students dressed up as their future careers, which was well-received.
During the school day on Friday, high school students attended a Pep Rally Assembly to raise emotions and intensity for the Homecoming weekend. This Pep Rally featured many games and activities to keep the students engaged.
In this assembly, Norwin clubs and sports teams competed in the School’s first-ever “Guess the Lyric” challenge. This game had students listen to a brief segment of a popular song, and then finish the rest by themselves. Some songs included were, fitting with the theme of Homecoming: “Welcome to New York” by Taylor Swift and “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. In the end, the Varsity Cheerleading Team showed their song knowledge as they took home the prize for this competition, a golden plunger.
Also during this pep assembly, the teachers and the students played two tense volleyball games against each other. These games ended quite narrowly, with the student team barely prevailing in both matchups. When asked about his experience participating in the game, English and Journalism teacher Brian Fleckenstein played so poorly that his son Maxwell called it “a generational aura loss.” After the assembly ended, students were dismissed 2 hours early at 12:15 P.M.
Following the dismissal, students in many clubs, especially Student Council and Class Offices stayed after to prepare for Norwin’s Homecoming Carnival. The Homecoming Carnival is a tradition where the school gyms are turned into a fun carnival with games and activities for everyone from young children to high-school students to enjoy. Clubs and sports teams run booths at the carnival to draw attention to and fundraise for their organizations. Every year, the carnival is spearheaded by the Junior Class Office.
“The homecoming carnival is one of those events that truly embodies the fun of homecoming,” said Junior Class Office president Joseph Cramer. “It is a student-run event that lets the community come together and have fun.”
Another recurring event during the Homecoming Carnival is the student dunk tank. In this event, students can volunteer to be dunked into a vat of water by their peers throwing balls at a target next to them. This event is led by the Freshman Class Office, and serves as a fundraiser to raise money for their class activities.
“I think a lot of people had fun with it, I definitely think it’s a good way to get everyone in Norwin together as a group,” said Freshman Class Office president Maxwell Fleckenstien.
Friday evening, Norwin football kicked off their annual whiteout Homecoming Game against North Hills. Students showed out in their all-white outfits, and the stadium was electric. Both the student and adult sections were packed with fans, who all showed energy and support towards the Knights. A common whiteout tradition of throwing up white-colored baby powder to intimidate the opposition continued this year, led by Norwin’s “Castle Crew”, a group of intense student football fans focused on raising the energy at Norwin football games. Despite the best efforts of the players and fans, the Knights fell to the North Hills Indians 24-7.
During halftime of the football game, there were many more festivities to be had. This was the time that many students had been eagerly awaiting— the announcement of the Homecoming King and Queen. This years’ candidates for king were Ameer Elatrache, John Olshanski, and Mike Strutt. For queen, students could choose between Adi Federovich, Molly Geissler, and Addy Granny. Ultimately, the king and queen chosen by the student body were Molly Geissler and Ameer Elatrache.
“It’s like, the best experience ever. I’ve wanted it for so long,” said Homecoming King and Student Council president Ameer Elatrache immediately after discovering he was chosen as king. “Honestly, I really appreciate everyone supporting me.”
The morning after the game, the school held its Homecoming Parade in Irwin. Students from clubs and sports teams across the school gathered to march and show their school spirit to the town. Participants passed out candy to audience members.
Then, finally, it was time for the main event. Saturday night at 7:00 P.M, Norwin opened its doors for this year’s Homecoming Dance for a night “In the Big Apple,” New York City themed dance. This year’s dance featured many new additions, designed to increase comfort at the dance. Students could buy a pair of comfortable slippers for only $1 if they got tired of their dress shoes. Another new implement was the “Central Perk,” an area with furniture for students to unwind and relax, inspired by the hit New York-based TV show Friends.
Most of the Homecoming activities were influenced by the Student Council, but the dance was their main focus. Student Council members volunteered their time to set up, clean up, and run concession stands at the dance. Members gave up almost their entire weekends to ensure the experience could be wonderful for all of the students.
Between the assembly, the carnival, the game, the parade, and the dance, this year’s Homecoming was incredibly eventful. Despite the differences between them, all of these events served one central purpose.
“It’s the one time where all of you get together and embrace the wonderful thing called being a Knight,” said Hufnagel.
