by Noah Killeen, managing editor
Homecoming is found to be one of the most enjoyable traditions for high school students. With festivities all week including a parade, spirit days, a homecoming football game, and a memorable dance, students have a lot to look forward to in the fall semester. However, not a lot of people have taken the time to understand the unique history of homecoming and how it slowly became a part of the traditional American high school experience.
Homecoming was not originally founded by high schools, but the tradition instead began with college football games. The origins of homecomings can be dated back to the early 1900s with the University of Illinois. The team was on a losing streak with one of their largest rivals, The Chicago Maroons, and the student body believed that if they hyped up their next game enough, they could finally defeat this opponent. Thus, over 12,000 attendees came and with many rooting on the University of Illinois, the team was able to defeat The Chicago Maroons 3-0. This was known as the first homecoming football game, but many other colleges debate this idea and claim that they began the tradition. Regardless of the origin, it didn’t take long for high schools to begin adopting homecoming into their campus schedules.
The dance also slowly started to become a tradition for high schools, as many began hosting a homecoming dance the night after the football game. Many speculate that the homecoming dances were adopted as a way for schools to romanticize the idea behind homecoming. With students from across the nation taking part in these dances, homecoming became as popular as prom! Yet, colleges rarely adopted this tradition due to it being difficult to manage a campus-wide dance for the large student bodies in universities.
There’s a common misnomer that homecoming was started in order to allow alumni to come back to school for the weekend festivities, but this is not factually backed. However, it just represents the student body coming back to campus in the fall. Regardless, since its origin, homecoming has been a tradition that students look forward to all year. It didn’t take long for schools to begin hosting festivals, parades, and spirit weeks to idolize this tradition. In Estrella, the whole community is already ecstatic to begin celebrating!
Estrella Foothills High School will kick off homecoming week with a parade from Devotion Field on Elliot Road to Estrella Mountain Church on Estrella Parkway at 5 p.m. October 1. We will be hosting our homecoming football game at 7 p.m. on October 7, and the dance will be the day after from 7 to 10 p.m. in the school cafenasium. The theme for this homecoming is “Once Upon a Homecoming,” so be sure to start shopping for outfits! We are eager to celebrate the century-long tradition of homecoming at Estrella Foothills High School.
Brooke, Eliza. “The History of Homecoming.” VICE, 31 Aug. 2015, https://www.vice.com/en/article/59mmwa/the-history-of-homecoming.
Hofp. “The History of Homecoming: Now & Then.” Hall of Fame Plaques & Signs, 9 Sept. 2021, https://www.halloffameplaques.com/blog/the-history-of-homecoming/