Bradley’s homecoming season begins, differences from previous years

Lauren Dame

Arts, Style, & Beauty Editor

The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.

Homecoming is just around the corner! Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 2nd at 7 pm, to come out to the stadium and dance! With COVID restrictions slowly lifting, Bradley has started out with a (semi) normal school year! Talks of homecoming and other homecoming-related events are heard through the hallways more and more every day.

The official definition of homecoming according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is “the return of a group of people usually on a special occasion to a place formerly frequented or regarded as home.” But what does it mean for Bradley?

Three girls stand together posing with their corsages for homecoming. Photo credit: Unsplash.

Ms. Cote, one of Bradley’s coordinators, is one of the people in charge of homecoming this year. Cote talks about what homecoming means for Bradley: “Bradley

homecoming for us is a powder puff game, it is a parade, it’s a dance

, [and] it’s dress-up days during the week.” She also makes sure to mention that “it’s really a fun week for our school.” There is something for everyone when it comes to homecoming and that’s what makes it special here!

One reason why homecoming is such a big deal this year is because of the lack of an actual dance last year. If you were a student at Bradley that attended the homecoming event in 2020, you may remember watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off at Huntington Park. This was a great idea as an alternative as covid cases were at a high and having a dance would have been impossible. Grace Ahrens (11), one of the members of the junior class cabinet says “I’m excited to be back with people from my school and getting to do a social event with them.” After so long, it’s going to be great to see everyone together!

Last year’s “homecoming” at Huntington Park stadium. Photo from The Jag Times: Homecoming looks different with COVID-19, seniors cling to last high school functions, October 2020. Photo by MaKenzie Hilling.

Unfortunately, the world hasn’t said goodbye to life without a pandemic and we still have to take this into consideration when it comes to homecoming this year. Instead of what would normally be a dance in the aux gymnasium, this year the dance is going to be out on the field in the stadium. This way it is outside, there will be plenty of space, and masks will not be required. Katy Grainger (11) who is also a part of the junior class cabinet and is apart of planning the homecoming dance this year, says “I think it’ll be different because nothing will be the same.” She adds that “it’ll be out on the turf so you can’t really know what to expect especially for freshmen.”

If there is one thing they can expect though, it’s a chance to really bond with friends and other people from Bradley.

Grades nine and ten will be having their first real homecoming this year, and Grace Ahrens (11) says “it might be kinda weird for the freshmen and sophomores because you never really know what you’re getting yourself into.” A learning experience for underclassmen, perhaps?

One of the biggest things seen leading up to homecoming is the act of asking someone to be your date to homecoming. Some don’t make it a big deal, while others get really creative with it! Science teacher, Mrs. Ulring, says “I had a student years ago arrange the apps on his iPad to spell ‘homecoming.’” She remembers that “he downloaded apps to actually have the letters of the apps spell [it.]” She adds that “it was pretty creative.” In the next couple of weeks it will be very interesting to see just how creative people get with figuring out their dates.

Another fascinating thing about homecoming is the way it has evolved over the years. Mrs. Horne, a Bradley math teacher, says that “people didn’t ask in weird ways. It was more like a call on the phone like ‘hey you wanna go to homecoming?’” She recalls that “there weren’t big messages or anything like that.” Mrs. Ulring mentioned that “it’s more casual now… and people go in groups! It’s better!” Maybe a fancy night is what some students are expecting, but the more fancy dance is prom in the spring!

Asking someone to homecoming means that lots of people go with dates, but a lot of people also go with a group of friends instead! High school relationships don't often last but some people get lucky like Mrs. Horne. Her homecoming date in high school is now her husband!

Will homecoming season meet your expectations this year? There’s only one way to find out! This is a part of your high school career that you’re going to remember for the rest of your life. A lot of hard work is going into this event and what better way to celebrate that hard work than by having fun?