GRWM: Homecoming

While soaking in all the fun of the Homecoming festivities, people tend to forget or even think about how all this was made possible. Who puts all the pieces together? What actually goes into planning one of the most popular and polarized events of the school year? Planning involves a lot of hard work from your classmates who are a part of Student Council.

One of the biggest events of the school year is Homecoming. Homecoming is a tradition that’s very popular in high schools and colleges in the United States. The event includes parades, assemblies, week-long activities, and dances. Students, teachers, and even alumni participate in these activities. It is no different here at Rock Island High School.

Maura Chandler, a junior, talks about the planning and work Student Council has put in and continues to put in to ensure an amazing Homecoming this year. “Student Council wanted to plan ahead this year to make sure we had everything ready and weren’t in a big rush,” Chandler said. She’s been a part of Student Council since her freshman year, and has become pretty familiar with what they need to plan Homecoming. She talked about how they’re in charge of the assembly, which includes getting decorations, music, and convertibles. “We make sure that the Homecoming Court has convertibles to ride in for the parade,” she says. Student Council makes calls to car dealerships in order to get the convertibles.

 As for the actual dance, Maura stated that, “We order decorations, get a D.J., get snacks from local businesses, and then we start getting things ready.” She revealed that Student Council saves up money from selling shirts and use that money to pay off decorations, food, etc. 

While Student Council is mainly students, they still receive help from teachers when it comes to preparing for the events. Katie Mertel, a teacher at Rocky, runs Student Council and is in charge of things, such as getting donations, and other staff to volunteer. Mertel feels it’s very important to have it be student led and wants the students to be involved as much as possible.

“It’s their Homecoming,” she says. Although this is only her second year, she understands this should be about what the students want to see. She’s driven by what the students need. She said that her favorite part of planning Homecoming is, “Seeing the spirit of the dance.”

Overall, the dance is a huge success with a big help from Student Council. Planning numerous events in a certain amount of time can be very difficult, but they manage to get it done and even get to enjoy themselves at the events!