It’s the biggest time of the year. The football team is training, the teachers are planning. How is everything going to get finished? The Student Government is here to help you ‘‘Break a Leg.’’

Each year, as the football team battles it out for their title of best high school team ever, Central prepares for one of the biggest weeks of celebration. Homecoming Week is something each and every student looks forward to every school year. It’s a week full of lunchtime games, night time celebrations, and wacky dress up days. 

This year’s theme went through a royale of choices but eventually came to the conclusion of “Break a Leg” Central, Broadway comes to campus. This time students are decorating the Homecoming Dance as the streets of New York while the hallways for each class are a little different. The seniors are working things out with High School Musical, juniors are getting on a magical carpet ride with Aladdin, sophomores are following the yellow brick road with the Wizard of Oz, and freshmen are traveling to the swamp with Shrek. 

Each of the classes are going to compete using their themes in four challenges: Powderpuff Football, where the girls take their place on the field; Powderpuff Cheer, where the boys get their tutus and perform a routine during the pep rally; Lipsync, where the classes make a music mix with their theme for a dance routine; and finally the big event, hallway decorating,   where all four classes bedazzle the halls  from head to toe. 

“Homecoming is a process of teamwork,” explained senior class officer Madison Gould. “There are so many people working together to put on this event. It is amazing to see everyone preparing and then see the final products. The process is something that is so intricate and takes a lot of time.” 

SGA has worked all through the summer and the beginning of the school year to prep for this huge event. 

“The process of preparing for Homecoming Week is scary because of the responsibility that comes with my position,” said senior class president Jovany Joseph, “but when things start to come together it makes others as well as myself feel happy with the way things turned out.” Jovany, while he is a new president, is working hard to help make this homecoming a great one for the seniors.

Other students, not a part of the process, don’t know all that goes into  creating a memorable homecoming experience. Due to the COVID pandemic, this will be the first homecoming in two years without CDC restrictions, and it’s looking to be a rockin’ banger.

“My favorite part is the activities and bonding with people,” noted junior Sean LaFrance. This will be LaFrance’s first high school homecoming.

Senior Julia Namia noted that she too enjoys the homecoming atmosphere that comes with the week.  “It’s a really exciting time, and I love the energy that happens with the dance and the homecoming game.”

Homecoming originated in colleges where alumni could return to their university to celebrate their football team.  Although there is controversy surrounding which school had the first homecoming (Baylor, University of Missouri, and the University of Illinois all claim to be the first), the earliest evidence of the celebration comes from 1909.  

Regardless of where and when, everyone can agree that homecoming is for celebrating not only the football team winning; homecoming is for the school. And while it might not be for everyone, homecoming is a great time to come dance, get free food, and have a spectacular time with your friends at school.