Let the games begin! The Vikings celebrated a board game-themed Homecoming week this year that was full of school pride. The Spartanburg High School community showed their spirit by dressing up on themed days, watching or participating in the Homecoming parade, cheering on our football team and attending the Homecoming dance.
The Homecoming festivities kicked off on Sept. 30 with a “Candyland”-themed dance. Students arrived at the SHS cafeteria and were met with booming music, vibrant lights, sweet decorations and tons of candy, sure to cause sugar rushes. Vikings danced the night away and sang along to the show-stopping music the DJ was playing.
Finley Sloan (10) came to the dance and had a fantastic night with her friends.
“My favorite part of Homecoming was dancing with my friends,” Sloan said. “I also went to an after party which was very fun.”
Following the Homecoming dance, spirit week came into play. Vikings dressed up throughout the week in Western or country club style, tacky clothing, extreme blue and gold attire, their grades’ assigned board game theme and stage in life. Some people even dressed up for the parade. Sports teams, clubs and grade levels decorated their floats to throw out candy and greet the excited spectators.
Ava Hrysikos (10) helped in the building of the sophomore float and was on it during the parade.
“It was very exciting and fun, though there weren’t as many people as last year,” Hrysikos said. “There were so many amazing floats, and I loved handing candy out to kids.”
Homecoming is a classic tradition for high schools in America to welcome back their alumni to celebrate their school’s existence. An event with this high level of importance requires a great deal of people, ideas and time to plan. Student Council oversaw the preparation of a Homecoming full of celebration. They were very meticulous in their planning and put in a lot of effort to make sure this year’s Homecoming week was one to remember.
Spanish teacher Kiley Painter is the supervisor for Student Council and believes that Homecoming was a success with hopes that everyone enjoyed it.
“We began preparing for Homecoming festivities the second week of school,” Painter said. “There’s a lot that goes into organizing a dance for 600 people – from choosing a theme, booking a DJ, ordering food, making banners, tickets and graphics, selling and printing tickets, ordering decorations and of course the set up and take down of the dance.”
Homecoming week ended in the Friday night lights where the football team played Gaffney High School. Before the game, a pep rally was held in Viking Arena, where grade levels competed in a battle to be the most spirited and all of the fall sports were recognized. Students showed out at the game in their blue and gold in support of the Vikings. Before the start, the student section showed their excitement by whipping their towels in the air to “Sandstorm” anticipating a good match-up. At halftime, Zion Littlejohn (12) and Kamdyn Coleman (12) were honored as the 2023 Homecoming King and Queen.
This year’s Homecoming week was one for the books and could not have been as successful as it was without the pride of students and faculty, the support from Spartanburg High School fans and help from Student Council organizing this festive week.
