Homecoming

Tiffany Sun

November 14, 2025

With the arrival of August, the roads are once again clogged with vehicles angrily inching along the asphalt. The jarring class bell rings across masses of deaf ears down hallways and up stairways. The windows of bedrooms once again burn bright against the hushed night, silent scratches of pencil on paper leaking through the window with only the hoots of owls as companions.

The start of another school year, in particular high school, signals a continuous uphill battle of stress, homework, extracurriculars, and tests. Yet on the flip side of the coin, there’s always a slice of anticipation, a silver lining, when it comes to seeing one’s friends every day again. One signature event that kicks off almost every American high school year is homecoming.

The tradition of homecoming can be traced all the way back to 1911, when the University of Missouri is widely credited for hosting the first homecoming. In essence, it was an event aimed to unite alumni by inviting them to return—“homecoming” —by hosting a sports game and dance.

Nowadays, homecoming has been adopted by American high schools, where it’s become a week-long of festivities that include grade-level dances/performances, a pep rally, friendly competitions, and the pinnacle of the week: the Friday night homecoming football game, where the homecoming royalty is crowned. A homecoming dance—whether that be casual, semi-formal, or formal—is also typically held at the end of the week. Unlike prom, the homecoming dance is open to all grades because its purpose is to bring people together after a summer away.

Although homecoming in high school doesn’t include alumni, it still remains a staple event in the fall. Homecoming boosts school spirit, forges community bonds, and nurtures school pride—setting the tone for the rest of the year. It’s the welcoming of both returning and new students, and the perfect social event to forge connections and create core memories.

It’s the excited Sunday night friend group texts about what to wear for spirit day the following week, it’s the frantic last-minute dance run-throughs before performances, it’s the full day plans from lunch to getting ready to the homecoming dance at night, it’s the overpowering cheers and hollers that fuel the week.

Contrary to prom, winter formal, and regular football games, homecoming has evolved into a wide mesh of spirited activities and has become the shining beacon of a new high school year.