With the announcement of the homecoming court in two days and the dance just two days after that, homecoming spirit is here at Ladue High School. The homecoming dance is on Saturday, October 5, in the West Gym at 8:00. Tickets are on sale in the Ram Shack for ten dollars. However, as is traditional at Ladue, the dance is not the only homecoming event. Spirit week, with Superhero Day, Blue and White Day, and Color Wars still to come, has been a raging success for its first two days. Perhaps more importantly for many students is the pep rally, scheduled to take place on Thursday in the main gym. Shruti Upadhyay and Mike Hill will emcee the rally and sports captains will talk about the progress of their seasons.
“The pep rally is always a fun time and the emcees this year are going to be fun and energetic,” STUCO Vice-President Hope Williams said.
Before school on Friday, there will be a free pancake breakfast in the cafeteria, where donations for the Hunger Outreach Program will be accepted. And Friday night is the Homecoming Bonfire, which will take place in the South Parking Lot, with a DJ and food provided.
“The bonfire is part of our larger theme to ‘Light the Night,’” STUCO sponsor Jim Goldwasser said. “Homecoming is about a shared experience that will build lasting memories and the bonfire is a part of that.”
At 11:00 on Saturday morning, the Homecoming Parade will commence. Sports teams and clubs will walk or ride in the parade, along with children from the Ladue elementary schools.
“The parade is a good time for the entire Ladue community to come together and celebrate,” Sophomore President Carly Rosenthal said.
Following the parade will be the football game against Affton at 1:00. The team is looking forward to it, but they know they will have to play well to defeat their opponent.
“Affton is a good team, I will give credit to them,” junior cornerback Jack May said. “They have a good receiving core, but I think our defense can hold them if we play to our abilities. It’ll be a good game.”
The offense will need to step up their game as well. Affton’s defense will put pressure on the offensive line and senior quarterback Matthew Hooper.
“We have a strong receiving and running game and we are going to need to spread the ball out,” senior wide receiver Ryan Glazer said.
It is likely that the team will pull out a win. In the Tarpey era of Ladue football, the team has never lost to Affton.
Later that night the Homecoming Dance will begin. The theme, ‘Light the Night,’ will be evident in the decorations lining the halls and once again, DJ Crucial will have his stage and lights set up in the gym.
“One of the things that makes our dance so big is that unlike other schools, people go more in groups than in dates, so everyone feels comfortable attending the dance,” Goldwasser said. “STUCO’s officers and delegates have done a great job setting up the dance. We are looking forward to it.”
