As this year’s Homecoming Spirit Week comes to a close at MIHS, students are getting ready for their first homecoming since 2019, and the new policies and changes that will be present.
“The main difference between this year and previous years is that it’s not officially a dance,” sophomore leadership officer Kathy Shao said. “We don’t have a DJ, but there is still going to be music playing, it’s still going to be inside, and there’s still going to be activities.”
The event will still be held at the school like in past years, but will be located in the commons, similarly to the annual “TOLO” dance in January. There will also be mask mandates and social distancing policies implemented to follow COVID-19 regulations.
Activities at the homecoming celebration will include mini-golf, photo booths, board games and food trucks with cookie dough and other delicacies.
Along with Homecoming, the week of October 11 is the homecoming spirit week, which consists of a different spirit day for each day of the week.
“Each day you have a different theme. A big thing about this spirit week is that you’re competing with other grades for who’s most spirited, and whoever wins gets a bigger cut of the profits coming out of homecoming,” Shao said. “So if you come out completely decked out every day, you’re going to get a bigger cut of profits, and (for seniors) you’re going to have greater funds for prom later in the year.”
At both lunches at the high school from Monday-Friday, students can purchase tickets for the celebration for 30 dollars, 20 if they have an ASB card. Non-MIHS students are also cleared to come to the homecoming as well, with a pass file being shared on Schoology to students. Non-MIHS students’ tickets also cost 30 dollars each.
The Homecoming celebration will also be accompanied by the annual homecoming parade.
“Before the game on Friday, October 15, beginning at 5:45 pm, we will host our traditional student parade,” Principal Walter Kelly said in his latest weekly letter to MIHS families. “Because of the safety management realities of COVID restrictions, we will modify the route this year. The route will begin near the Band Hall on 92nd Avenue and will end at the entrance to the MIHS Stadium on 42nd.”
Despite the presence of the pandemic, Mercer Island is finally regaining some of the normalcy of the pre-pandemic school life as the nostalgia of past traditions returns to MIHS.
The last opportunity to dress up for spirit week is this Friday, October 15, which has the classic maroon and white theme, and the last opportunity to purchase Homecoming tickets is also Friday, during either lunch.
