Homecoming is not a newly innovated idea, especially in a world where having the “ultimate high school experience” is more important than a good GPA. Believe it or not, what we call ‘Homecoming’ actually originated at the collegiate level. The University of Missouri claims to have invented the tradition of homecoming in 1911, however, Baylor University says it held the very first homecoming event, just a year earlier. The University of Illinois is also a front runner in the competition of ‘whodunit’ first, holding their homecoming festivities every year since 1910, except for one, in 1918 because of an influenza outbreak… how convenient. 

Homecoming started as a celebration of the first football game of the season, where alumni would return to their Alma Mater to celebrate with the current students. Typically, the week-long festivities include a few days of specialized ‘dress-up’ days, like “Tacky Tourist Tuesday” or “Western Wednesday”. Following the outrageously dressed students, is an even more outrageously hyped-up pep rally featuring, of course, the fall sports teams (but mostly football), the senior class and loads of unfathomable school spirit. 

 If you live in the south, you probably hear jingle bells and the faint sounds of fake flowers rubbing together and shaking down the hallways as students walk to class. This is body armor made of ribbon, stickers, glitter, and 37 pounds of hot glue, called “mums”. Mums are traditionally worn by female students, who make a matching garter (a smaller mum, but on a garter belt, to be worn around a guy’s bicep) to claim their male counterpart for the duration of homecoming week. 

Homecoming obviously wouldn’t exist without a football game, where in movies, is usually against the team’s biggest rival. However, in reality, most schools try to schedule homecoming for a game they know they’ll win. Last, is the notorious homecoming dance. Students in all grade levels dress to impress and dance to music the teachers who are chaperoning, can barely comprehend as ‘music’. Hundreds of sweaty children, lots of inappropriate dance moves, makes it definitely a night to remember. 

Here is what you can expect from this year’s homecoming week at Ryan. Firstly, homecoming week starts on a Tuesday, because there is no school on Monday, October 14. Thanks, Christopher Columbus. Since homecoming falls near Halloween this year, Student Council has decided to embrace the season and deem this year’s theme as ‘Haunted Homecoming’. The spirit day themes for this year are as follows; Tuesday; Decade Day (dress like you’re in the 70s, 80s, etc.), Wednesday; PumpTWIN (find a friend, dress like twins), Thursday; We Ghostin’ (white out), and Friday; Prep Out Creekview (dress preppy).

The homecoming game is on Thursday, October 17 at C.H. Collins Athletic Complex, where the Raiders will take on Creekview High School starting at 7 p.m.To cheer on our teams before the game, the homecoming pep rally will be held during B2 on Thursday. The homecoming dance will be on Friday, October 18, at Buffalo Valley Event Center from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now, during all lunches. If you would like to bring a guest who is not a Ryan student, you must get an outside guest form from the front office. Your outside guest form needs to be turned in and approved by an administrator before you are able to purchase a ticket for a non-Ryan student.

Homecoming is a time where current students show former students that we still know what Ryan is all about. Get out there, have some school spirit, show it off, and make everlasting memories. Just leave the spooky masks at home.