Chuck's column: What happened to Homecoming?

Talk about it

As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned so much more about myself. Some of it I don’t mind learning.

Some of it … I do.

I know I’m not alone on this, but I gotta tell ya, I despise change. I loathe change. I embrace my hatred of change.

Why is it when we’re younger, change isn’t a big deal? We simply go with the flow. As we age, however, change becomes more difficult with which to live. Sometimes, there’s nothing we can do because change is simply going to happen. Sometimes, though, it seems like we should have more control over the change. What I want to talk about this week is going to leave many readers wondering, “What’s the big deal?” but I hate how Homecoming has changed over the years.

Homecoming once was something so different than what it’s become. When I was in high school, we absolutely loved Homecoming. At the very core of the event, in my high school, was the competition between the classes. Competition with window painting, button sales, class spirit, the class skits at the Homecoming pep fest, and competition with the floats in the parade.

Everyone cared about Homecoming. It was our life in the early fall of the school year. Each homeroom was to build a float. We met at someone’s home regularly at night to begin planning and eventually building the float. It was such a social event. We also met as representatives of our class to work on the skit for the pep fest. On the Friday of Homecoming week, we all got out of school at 11 in the morning. While some went home to get the decorations, others went to get the flatbeds we were going to decorate, and then we met back at school; everyone drove their vehicles onto the school lawn, and we began to decorate our floats. It was so much fun.

When I first came to Rosemount, the parade was alive and well. There were some differences from what I had experienced during my school days, but for the most part, it was similar. Once I became student council advisor, I tried to incorporate some of my own high school experiences with ours here.

I remember RHS’s last Homecoming parade. Unfortunately, the mentality of the kids had changed. No longer were the flatbeds looking awesome. They were looking like flatbeds. Kids didn’t want to go through the work of making them look cool and then riding them, so basically, naked flatbeds became all the rage. Unfortunately, the faculty and staff didn’t like the rage. And frankly, the community didn’t see much of a reason for it any longer either. The parade was supposed to be for the kids, but if they didn’t want to decorate and go through the work to make the parade a success, the decision finally was handed down that the parade would die a silent death. As I recall, it did just that. I don’t remember much interference on the part of the student body the following year, protesting the absence of a parade.

We once had Sno-Daze, which was winter’s answer to Homecoming. That, too, went by the boards because kids just lost interest in it and no one wanted to support snow sculptures or window painting, and even our dance was no longer making money. Again, when it disappeared, except for a handful of senior girls the following year complaining, no one noticed its absence.

So goes change, eh? Fall is my favorite season of the year. It always has been. Despite summer meaning no grading and the lack of other craziness, fall totally rocks. We still try to give kids fond memories of a Homecoming they’ll recall with a smile. Hopefully, for those of you reading this, you remember your Homecoming as one of the best times of your high school career.

I often wonder how different people would be if technology hadn’t advanced to the level it has. Something to ponder until next week. Until then, happy Homecoming, Rosemount. Go Irish!

Tags: opinion, rosemount, commentaries