The junior powderpuff team celebrates their win. Photo by Sarah Hinnant.
This year's homecoming theme raced around the country, from Florida to California, and made stops for different events, like the talent show and Powderpuff game, along the way. Find out all information about this wild ride below.
Seniors Caitlin Ramirez, Autumn Leggio and Angel Villanueva show spirit in the senior section at the pep rally. Photo by Juliana Joyner.
Return of the glow-in-the-dark pep rally
story by Laura Shaw
Lights go off, students go wild, glow sticks are lit, neon shirts adorn every student in sight and school spirit is everywhere.
Highlights of the pep rally featured the return of the senior and junior Powderpuff cheerleaders, and performances by the dance team featuring certain staff members. There was even a surprise appearance by athletic director Jay Getty on top of a cheer pyramid sporting an American flag helmet.
I had lots of fun. Administration put a lot of effort into it and you could tell,” junior Tally Chamlin said.
Seniors paint Paws on the Wall
story by Alexis Madlang
Seniors dipping their hands into Hagerty blue paint created the same feeling they had when they used to finger paint in kindergarten. Putting their hand prints on the wall marked the beginning of the end to their educational experiences.
The tenth annual ‘Paws on the Wall’ took place Tuesday, Oct. 1, and seniors got to leave their mark by dipping their hands in paint, putting them onto the wall and signing their names in Sharpie. This tradition happens every Tuesday of homecoming week.
“I loved the feeling of signing my name on the wall and leaving a physical legacy for me to be remembered by,” senior Desiree Ali said.
(left) Senior Dominic Diatzikis signs his name by his paw print. Photo by Sarah Hinnant.
Seniors Park Wickizer, Vincent Le, Michael Maxwell, and Cade Schexnayder get hyped up for the powderpuff game. Photo by Sarah Hinnant.
Hit me with your best shot
story by Zoey Young
The chants of encouragement coupled with applause from spectators was all one could hear outside of the annual homecoming dodgeball tournament.
I love watching kids get competitive, especially when they play against teacher or administrator teams,” leadership supervisor Sarah Jarem said.
The tournament occurred in the old gym on Oct. 3 at 6:30 p.m. Lasting until 8 p.m, the stands were filled with administrators, teachers, parents and students as they rooted for their favorite teams. Multi-colored Styrofoam balls flew through the air, sometimes flying into the crowd as players took their best aim at opponents.
Juniors defeat seniors for first time in Powderpuff history
story by Andrea Izaguirre
Sprinting down the field, all eyes on her, junior Ally Bortz made a risky interception with two minutes left in the last quarter, before she assisted in the 75-yard winning touchdown by fellow junior Daryn Miller. The juniors, who were down 17-15, beat the seniors 22-17 in an unexpected upset at Sam Momary Stadium on Oct. 2.
We did a very good job rushing the seniors offensive line. Grace Truong... led us with some very successful offensive plays,” said Bortz.
With Siara Youngblood as the punter, the junior class was successful in all their kickoffs. In turn, quarterbacks Courtney Muglach, Lauren Tulp, Miller and Truong led the junior team on offense.
“We didn’t really expect to win, it’s kind of unheard of,” Truong said.
Junior Olivia Lipari attempts to catch the football. Photo by Maggie Taylor.
Varsity football wins homecoming thriller
story by Haley Hibdon
With two minutes left in the final quarter, the varsity football team was behind 14-13. The team needed to score and they needed to do it fast. Then, with 30 seconds left, a pass to senior wide receiver Shomaree Blake from junior quarterback J.J. Baird led the team to the winning touchdown.
We were playing for all people up in the stands that can't do it. We know they're depending on us, so we had to do it for them,” Baird said.
At halftime the score was tied 7-7. The team had evaluated their mistakes and in the second half, the energy of the game flipped. The student section was chanting cheers as the team dominated down on the field.
Students show true colors at annual talent show
story by Lukas Goodwin
After the annual talent show, hosted by TV Production as a part of the homecoming week agenda, fan favorite senior Joe Davis brought things to a close for the night as he was handed the microphone and he broke into song.
All 17 contestants danced and laughed together as they celebrated the top three winners: senior Soomin Eum in first place, seniors Francheska Olazabal-Vega and Faith Nichols in second, and sophomore Benjamin Rutan in third.
“I was super nervous. But I just looked at my partner… [and] it made me more comfortable. It was just better working with someone,” said Olazabal-Vega.
Senior Soomin Eum accepts her first place award. Photo by Faith Marino.
Students party in the pit in the old gym at the homecoming dance. Photo by Maggie Taylor.
The spirit days of homecoming week
In order to garner school spirit and get students excited for things like the after-school events and the dance, each day of the week was themed after a different state to reflect a true "road trip." Students went from wearing cheesy floral shirts and sunglasses iconic to Floridan culture, to the nerdy glasses and bow ties of the high-tech Silicon Valley.
Monday: Tacky Tourist
(left) Sophomores Juliette Rodriguez, Asia Kendall, Jennifer Ballentine and Erin Rodd laugh together for their picture. Photo by Courtney Downing.
Tuesday: Country vs. Country Club
Wednesday: Rest Stop
(right) Sophomores Adeline Hart, Molly Farrell, Anna Hawkins and Karley Rasch take a selfie with their blankets. Photo by Courtney Downing.
Thursday: IT Tech
(left) Juniors Charisma Mae and Xiomy Sam pretend to study some notes together. Photo by Courtney Downing.
Friday: Music Festival
The homecoming dance
As a big bow on top of the whole week, the traditional homecoming dance was held Saturday, Oct. 5 on campus. Students met with their friends and dates in the hottest spots in town for photos, and then went to the dance to let loose and have fun.
Multimedia story by Lukas Goodwin
with contributions from the Blueprint staff