Throughout the first month of school, students are ecstatic with anticipation of homecoming week. Known for its dress up days, rallies, and the homecoming dance, the week has become infamous around campus. On Sep. 6, the homecoming kickoff rally set the tone for the rest of the following weeks.
Music blasting in the North Gym and friendly faces greeted the student body of Ripon High upon entering the building. Regardless of the environment of the rally, the spirited school section is what makes the rally interesting. Elliot Van Dorst, a sophomore, shared, “Every rally, I’m just giving my best school spirit, it’s really fun. The people in my section cheering with me really makes every rally that much more enjoyable.” The energy of Ripon High’s scholars carried into the next portion of the rally; the announcement of the dress up days for the week of Sep. 16.
In the North Gym, students and faculty showed off the dress up days on the red carpet. Among students and faculty, several familiars faces could be noted, such as Mrs Castle and Mrs Ochoa debuting the theme for Sep. 18th, and Mrs Paris and Mr. Yonan showcased the spiritwear for Sep. 19th, and Landon Crawford, a junior at Ripon High who influenced some outfits for Sep. 18th. Crawford states that the rally, “helped bring everybody together,” and invites new students to, “get involved and have fun,” during rallies.
Afterward, Sofia Grewal, a senior, walked onto the floor of the North Gym alone, wearing an ivory dress and a wide smile, to announce this year’s Grand Marshal. Cheers erupted when the familiar name, “Mrs. Paris,” was said. Mrs. Paris, a highly respected math teacher at Ripon High, is known around campus for both her dedication to teaching and her kindness towards her students. Students and staff were ecstatic to hear that Mrs. Paris was elected as theGrand Marshall, and many had tears of happiness welled up in their eyes, including Mrs. Paris herself.
As the rally neared the end, homecoming candidates were announced and each senior candidate walked down the red carpet, filled with excitement about the upcoming events. This year’s homecoming candidates consisted of 10 seniors; Megan Parker, Gus Nungaray, Kennedy Winter, Brett Shaw, Alana Hernandez, Calvin Ryans, Nina Benedetti, Mateo Elisary, Abby Hendley, and Mina Armanious.
Many homecoming candidates were both surprised, and exhilarated when they found out. “I wasn’t really expecting to be on court this year. I think nobody on court really knew what would happen because it was unpredictable,” Kennedy Winter, a candidate, says. “It felt really good [to be nominated]. It felt really good that people wanted to vote for me, and wanted me on court.” Winter adds. Both Winter and her fellow candidates are looking forward to the following homecoming events and hope to leave a long lasting legacy on campus.
Mina Armanious, another candidate, advises his peers to, “Live in the moment, have fun. Seniors specifically, it’s our last year and I feel like we should be making the most out of it.” The homecoming kickoff rally set an engaging tone for the events to follow and is a great way to get involved in the Ripon High School community!
