The glitz and glamor of the annual Homecoming dance was primarily due to the Student Council Association (SCA)’s grueling work behind the scenes, planning and executing everything from Spirit Week, pep rallies, tailgates, and the dance itself. The large events of the fall also fell earlier in the calendar than 2022’s mid-October dance, adding to the challenge of planning. 

Junior Annabelle Monte – SCA Executive Vice President

Q: How was it planning Homecoming this early in the year?

A: Homecoming was a little bit earlier this year, especially compared to last year; [it’s] about three weeks earlier. At times, it could be stressful; however, working with our president, Maggie Miller, and with our sponsor, Michelle Prince, it was a really incredible experience, even though, at times, we were a little bit racing for time. 

Q: What do you think was the most stressful thing about it for you?

A: I think the most stressful thing for me was just making sure all the prep work was in order. Once we kind of got into the swing of Homecoming week itself, you’re past the prep work; you’re in it; you’re going, and so what was most stressful was making sure that we were prepped to be able to go during the week.

Q: After homecoming ended, how did you feel?

A: Almost euphoric. I felt like the dance went incredible; people had a lot of fun. I loved all of our decorations and it was just kind of  like — not a weight off my shoulders, because it wasn’t a weight in the first place —  but just like, “Oh, my God, we finally made it.”

Q: For the future, would you like Homecoming to be a little later or do you prefer it early?

A: Personally, I would love for a homecoming in October again; mid-October would be great because sometimes, that extra week is nice, but you know what? [Whenever] it is, I’ll have a good time.

History Teacher Michelle Prince – SCA Sponsor

Q: How was it planning Homecoming this year as compared to previous years, especially since it was earlier?

A: It really was not much different; the end of September did mean that we had to do a little more over the summer, but other than that, it was fine.

Q: Is it different not having to plan something as big as Homecoming anymore? Do you have time to do more now?

A: Now that Homecoming is over, it frees up a lot more time to get caught up with grading, yearbook, and other things. 

Q: Since SCA had to partake in planning Spirit Week and Homecoming, was there any time to train the new SCA members? Or were they thrown to the wolves?

A: We’ve had September Homecomings before, and it’s been earlier than Sept. 30, so this was certainly not a “thrown-to-the-wolves” kind of situation. We had a meeting in August like we normally do, and [that’s when] we did the training [for the newer members], but a lot of people on staff on SCA are returning. It just meant we had to hit the ground running, but other than that, there was really no difference between a September Homecoming and an October one. Last year’s Homecoming was late. It’s usually never at the end of October — our goal is usually the first week of October, so it was really only a week earlier.

Senior Maggie Miller – SCA Executive President

Q: How much of Homecoming did you plan? What was your role in it?

A: I oversaw all of the creative directors we have on our team and they each took control of a section in the decorating. I just make sure [everything] is coordinated with each other and works out. I [also] oversaw all the activities for [Spirit Week] — for hallway decorating, I was there making sure [everything] followed all the rules. I planned the pep rally —making the script, coming up with the games, all that type of stuff. For the tailgate, I reached out to food truck places and coordinated with all the people who brought in the inflatable games and the cotton candy machines and stuff. Obviously, the dance is the most important part. We couldn’t get the DJ we’ve always gotten, so we had to reach out to a lot of different DJs.

Q: Was it different planning Homecoming because it was so early this year? 

A: Yes. In [some] ways it’s good that it was early because it’s over [now]. So I don’t have to stress about it much later. I really care about creating a positive team on SCA, and I felt kind of bad because we kind of just jump-started into crazy amounts of work. I think that affected the environment for a little bit. We didn’t want to set ourselves up for too much, [especially] since we had two pep rallies in a month, and that was a lot.

Q: Were the newer members of SCA unprepared at all when they had to partake in planning Spirit Week and Homecoming?

A: I tried to have that not be the case. I tried to make sure that everybody was comfortable. If there’s something you can’t do, just tell us. A lot of the people who were new, I had them [make] a lot of the posters — things that weren’t like “here, coordinate this tent right now.” It was more just tasks where they could watch and learn, and then in future years could take over. There was a level where they were thrown in because they didn’t have a transition period because we were literally planning Homecoming during the summer, so I would say half-and-half because yes, but also, I didn’t want them to be crazy overwhelmed. 

Q: What is SCA planning now?

A: Right now, we are focusing on “Can The Teacher” which starts on Nov. 1, so we gathered all of our teachers for that. We also have the “Student vs. Staff Volleyball Game” on Nov. 17. We’re already planning Spirit Week, which is in early December. And [we’re planning] another pep rally — a “glow-in-the-dark” pep rally and “Frost Fest.” That’s all happening in the next month and a half.