It's been a while since I last posted something light-hearted, so I think I'll write about this past week--Harker's annual homecoming week. And what an exciting week it was! This year's theme of elements was actually suggested by our very own group (the Sexy Sixes, I believe) at Gym Jam this summer! I still remember having to explain to people when the theme was announced that we were not, in fact, referring to the periodic table of elements, but rather the elements of earth, wind, fire, and water. Only at Harker is this disambiguation necessary...
As student body representative, I was told to follow the tradition of dressing on each class' day. At first, I was reluctant to betray my own class and dress up as, say, earth (booooo!). But as the days went by, it ended up being a lot of fun!
For wind, I wore all white and taped these cool "el_gohtic" font wings on my backpack:
For water, I decided to wear a blue tshirt, blue button-down, trunks, and a blue towel. I was actually impressed by the junior class' spirit and ingenuity. They had the wonderful idea of labeling themselves with the name of a body of water, because we were quite literally dressed up "bodies of water." ha. ha. So I chose to label myself "Superior." Egotistical as it may sound, I thought it was pretty witty! ;)
Finally, for fire, (our very own class of 2010 theme!!) I wore a full-sleeves orange polo with a yellow tshirt on top, a red beanie, and shades, since our class really does "light it up!" My black jeans and shoes were a weak attempt to resemble ashes, but whatever; at least I tried!The homecoming rally was a great way to wrap up the spirit component of the week. The skits were very entertaining, and I think each class' work really came through. Our skit was still the best, of course! (made official during the game.) My role, in particular, was to act as a freshman, and, in doing so, burlesque and mock the entire class tot he best of my ability. I took great delight in carrying out this task ;) The Thriller dance in the end of our skit was also extremely fun to learn and perform. We were all so synchronized and well-arranged! All those hours spent rehearsing on that cold Saturday afternoon really did pay off, after all.
It was a truly fun and interesting experience to be in the skit for the first time, though. I was interviewed after the rally by the Harker newspaper about how our class has changed over the years and how that's been reflected in homecoming. I answered something along the lines of "our class has grown so much more close-knit. All of us are so much more willing to go out of our comfort zones to help support and embody class spirit than we were in freshman year. At least that's why I made the decision to participate this year." I was also asked, as a senior, how this homecoming has been different to me than the previous ones. I replied "It's just so bittersweet! We all want to head off to college, where homecoming is still celebrated in a very spirited fashion, but it's not like we're going to know every single person standing on the bleachers or out there participating in all the events--there are just way too many people for that. At Harker, we know each and every one of our 160 class peers and a good majority of the rest, and that's something we'll never be able to replicate in college."
This really got me thinking about my time left here at Harker. I came to the realization that never again after this school year will I be able to just walk out of Main Hall and hang out with some truly amazing individuals. After that interview, I made sure to hang out with as many friends in as many classes at Harker as I could. I dined with my fellow seniors at Gloria's, watched the game in the frigid bleachers with even more seniors as well as some sophomores and juniors, and even chatted with and purchased food from some freshmen before and during the game (some of them really aren't that bad). I really do want to make the most of my time left here at Harker, so I'm going to try my level best to maintain old friendships, develop recent ones, and even make a few new ones.
Since this post did vary in light-heartedness throughout its many paragraphs, I will end it in a manner that holds true to my intended writing style. I hope everyone enjoyed this year's homecoming experience as much as I did!
