Homecoming is many people’s favorite time of year. Many prepare weeks, and even months, ahead of time. For many, the anticipation of that special night begins with the first day of school. 

The week leading up to homecoming is always a fun and exciting time for students and faculty alike. The themes, the DJ, and the homecoming football game get students ready for the big night. From a student’s perspective, it all seems to simply appear as another round of homecoming festivities. But what really goes into the planning of the activities? 

Senior Class President and Student Council member Louis Baser says that the dance itself takes two full Saturdays of work to get ready. The large number of people on student council makes it easier, with lots of teamwork used to make homecoming the best it can be. The council members are divided up into specialized committees. “Everyone gets assigned a task when it comes to planning and preparation,” says sophomore member Natalie Dubois. “After everyone has their assignments, we collectively decide on a theme from a pool of ideas thrown out.” Each team also comes up with and submits ideas for spirit days and the music played in the halls during passing periods all week. Then, all these ideas are submitted and voted on by the rest of the student council. Finally, the week of the dance arrives, and everyone is assigned a decorating task. “This process makes things run very smoothly”, says Dubois. “Some people are assigned tasks like cut-outs. Others get to blow and hang up balloons.” The specialization of all the different groups helps homecoming preparation get done smoothly. “This year was particularly efficient,” Natalie remembers. “Everyone got their tasks done well, and we were in and out quickly.”

The theme this year for homecoming was Friday Night Lights, which led to the decorations being bright, fun, and very spirited! Senior Chelsea Verheyen, along with many other Central students, were amazed by these decorations! Next time you think of homecoming and all its fun festivities, remember all the hard work put in by your classmates on the student council. Dubois recalls, “It’s so rewarding to see all of the students having a good time.”