Homecoming 2022 blasted students to the past for the week. The week before the dance was filled with five spirit days in which students dressed up to match the theme for the day. The week kicked off with Monday being country vs. popstar, followed by dress as your favorite Disney character on Tuesday, dress like your middle school self on Wednesday, class color day on Thursday, and spirit day on Friday. 

Many seniors went all out with their outfits for spirit week since it was the last homecoming before graduation. Senior Zoey Finney  dressed up from head to toe in pink for class color day. Finney said, “That was my last time to dress up and it really showed me how fast high school went by. I wanted to end on a good note and dressing up did that for me! I loved this spirit week.”

Float building was held for each class after school hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. Some classes carried on with float building on Thursday too. Each class had a unique theme for which they had to create a float for the homecoming parade. The freshmen had Lilo and Stitch, sophomores had Alice in Wonderland, juniors had Toy Story, and seniors had Up. Each float was judged on creativity and execution, where ultimately the junior class won.

The traditional homecoming pep rally was held on the Friday before the dance. Students were dismissed after second hour to go to the gym. It consisted of various relay races, a masked singer competition, Family Feud, and the traditional spirit stick competition which the seniors ultimately claimed. 

The parade followed the pep rally later Friday afternoon. Students were released from school at 11:15 in order to prepare for the parade. The lineup for the parade started at the Christian Covenant Church and continued through downtown, ending at James Street Park. 

The football game versus Anna-Jonesboro later ended the spirit week for Homecoming Friday night. The Lions defeated the Wildcats with a score of 42-7. Sophomore Luke Johnson recapped the win by saying, “It’s always fun to end the Hoco week with a victory. Not only does it just feel good, but it gives our town the pride and spirit brought upon the football team.”

Coronation started at 7pm on Saturday in the auditorium. All of the attendees watched as the court girls and football seniors were introduced. Ally Lange walked away as homecoming queen and Charlie Howerton was crowned homecoming king. Lange said, “Going into this year, I definitely was not expecting to be on homecoming court and was definitely not expecting to be crowned queen. There are really no words to describe this experience. I am so thankful and humbled.” Howerton had a similar experience with being crowned. He said, “It was honestly a surreal experience. Everyone involved with the whole coronation and homecoming process was truly a joy to work with.”

The dance immediately followed coronation in the auxiliary gym, which was different from the previous year where it was held outside. Mrs. Emrick and Mr. Coleman planned and decorated the gym with the help of members from the Student Leadership Council. 

Overall, the whole week was a success with lots of fun and school spirit that was spread around the school. Students and staff were able to come together for the week to boost the morale of the school.