Is our modern version of Homecoming really that modern?

By: Guest Writer Meghan Kolcum
How was homecoming for our teachers? Has it really changed that significantly in 20-30 years? Maybe so…maybe not.
Homecoming today is a weeklong event. We have the fun spirit week that leads up to our enjoyable parade which then leads up to our game. Lastly, there is the dance, which lasts until around 11.
A blast to the past:
Spirit week included many components: lots of pep, dances, and football games! Here’s the story and week of one our very own teachers, Mrs. Bass-Thomas, who was on homecoming court as a senior. Those who are on the homecoming court today can very easily wear whatever they want to during spirit week, whereas back in the past homecoming court members had to dress up in dresses every day, along with wearing corsages. After the week went on, there was normally a parade that occurred downtown right before the game, and almost everyone from the school went to the parade to see homecoming court and other fun aspects of the parade. The parade normally took place downtown, where the court members would dress up very nicely wearing silky gowns with white gloves and their corsages. During the parade, they would sit in fancy cars and then head down to the game along with the rest of the school. The eve of the parade, the court members would get all dressed up in their nice gowns with white gloves and ride to the game with other court members in nice cars. The court members would then change again into business attire, and during half time they would give presentations and speeches on why the student body should vote for them as king or queen. After the game was over it was time for the dance, where everyone would dance the night away very casually in jeans and tee-shirts. This all happened in one night: the parade, game, and dance. What a fun-filled yet packed night!
Homecoming differed based on where you grew up. Living in a small town in Kansas where everyone knew everything about everyone, Mrs. Urbanz was one of those students who grew up in this town. Homecoming was centered on cheering on the team and spreading the peppiness around the school. “You may think that you have a lot of kids at our football games, but not nearly as many as those at my high school. Even though we had around 50 students in my class, our stands were completely filled,” said Mrs. Urbanz.  The whole town came out to cheer on the football team along with students from other various high schools. Pep rallies were very big at her school. They even had a pep club which is like our Tusky Terror today. The pep squad would make little signs in the football player’s locker room and place candies and other sweet treats in their lockers. Homecoming wasn’t as big a deal as it is for us. In high school, after just about every football and basketball game there would be a dance and a pep rally before a huge game would occur. It was basically similar to multiple homecomings minus the getting all dressed up for the dances. They were all very casual and simple yet fun! Football and basketball Games were the main focus, not so much the dance itself.
As you can see, dances from the past were casual and slightly compiled into one night more so then spread throughout a week. It was a very fast paced casual night with lots of pep filled in each night. Our modern days of homecoming are vastly strict to guidelines and rules that have only been passed down from generation to generation.