Royal crowning, pep rally games, and Friday night lights come together to make a homecoming weekend spectacular.

Before the celebration can begin, someone has to plan the festivities. The cheerleaders, Prowlers, and the leadership class annually take on this challenge.

The Prowlers and cheer team work on decorating the gym and patio commons to get it ready for a night of fun. On Friday after school, before getting ready for the football game, decorations are hung. They also come into school on Saturday before the dance and finish up decorations and refreshments.

“As long as I can remember, the prowlers and cheerleaders have planned Homecoming with the help of Student Council.  That was even true when I went to school here years ago!” said Prowler Head Coach Cheryl Gray.

Before any decorations or planning is done, a theme must be chosen. This year a decision was made that the dance should be planned around our school tradition, using our school colors as inspiration. The official theme is “New Fight, Same Bite!.” The excitement in the student body is evident, and a cheerleader involved in planning explains why.

“The whole experience is just fun, and you get to get dressed up. It’s such a different side of people,” said cheerleader Miranda VanRie.

While the cheerleaders and Prowlers work, the members of Jeff Moore’s leadership class take on royal court elections and the pep rally activities. Nominees are voted for by their entire grade, and those three representatives, five for seniors, are chosen the next week. The crowning of the queen takes place at the football game during halftime.

There will be a pep rally the last hour of the day on Friday September 26th, and students will be missing their sixth block class. During the pep rally, nominees are voted on by their entire grade, and final votes were taken on Tuesday, September 16th. The crowning of the queen will be during halftime of the football game against Lee’s Summit North at 7:00pm on September 26th at Panther stadium.

The events will continue on Saturday, September 27th at 8:00pm in the south auxillary gym, where the homecoming dance is held. Crowning will be held at 10:00pm, and the dance ends at 11:00pm. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. School ID is required to enter the dance.