Comments (0) | |

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009

Teens like dressing up for homecoming week ... and the dancing isn’t bad, either

Goth day, decade day, gender-bender day and tacky day are just a few of the activities high school students may participate in during homecoming week, which is sometimes also called spirit week.

In high schools across Middle Georgia, homecoming is about much more than football. Traditionally, homecoming centered around a football game attended by alumni. Now, it has evolved into a full week of celebration and high spirits.

Different schools across Middle Georgia enjoy different events, including bonfires, Powder Puff football where the girls are the players and the boys are the cheerleaders, and, of course, the homecoming dance.

The fun of spirit week is in the ridiculousness of it. The more outrageous the theme, the more exciting students said they find it.

“Tacky day is my favorite because I’m so good at being tacky,” Covenant Academy junior Jessica Dial said.

Some teens like Dial enjoy the humorous aspects of homecoming week, such as tacky day where they are encouraged to dress as tacky or mismatched as possible.

Dress-up days are an essential part of spirit week and set the tone of excitement for the homecoming game. Teens have different favorites when it comes to dress-up days. Some like gender-bender day where girls dress like boys and boys dress like girls. On geek day, students don glasses and suspenders. Teens dress as their favorite super hero, past or present, on super hero day, and they wear clothes from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s or ’90s on decade day.

“I like camouflage day because nobody can see me,” Tattnall Square Academy junior Monica Harvey said.

Excitement mounts throughout the week, which culminates with the football game. Usually the night ends with the homecoming dance. Homecoming court is chosen, made up of male and female representatives along with the homecoming king and queen.

“It’s always a time I look forward to because homecoming week is more laid back, and we don’t have to wear uniforms. I’m excited about playing Powder Puff this year,” Stratford Academy senior Meredith Nelson said.

Lauren Loudermilk is a junior at Tattnall Square Academy. Shreeya Khurana, a senior at Stratford Academy, and Molly Ricks, a freshman in home school, contributed to this story.