Lights shine bright and glimmer off suits and sparkly dresses on the dance floor, and the air is thick with excitement and nervousness as the music fills the ballroom. It’s a night of celebration, one that took months to plan. While students enjoy the excitement of homecoming, few stop to consider the planning and dedication that go into the celebration.
Behind the scenes, members of the HHS chapter of Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) contribute to the making of each year’s homecoming. They all work hard on the morning of homecoming to make it a night for many students to remember.
FCCLA member Kendall Shields (11) has contributed to the planning of homecoming for 4 years now. The planning, according to Shields, does not just start the day of, but months before.
“We just go the morning of and set up at NKU, different like decorations, and like the photo booth, and stuff. We also start planning like a few months ahead with themes, and like the homecoming week theme, and stuff like that.” Shields said.
Every year, Highlands always has a dramatic theme and many decorations for dances, especially homecoming. Annie Kuhnhein (12) is an FCCLA officer and a student at Highlands High School. Kunhnein is in charge of the decorating and theme for this year’s dance.
“I think we’re just really good at being dramatic, like always having a good theme, making sure decorations and everything is like set and ready for the night, and you’re able to tell even if you don’t know the theme of what’s going on.”
Especially for freshmen, homecoming is a big deal, and everything has to be perfect.
“Freshman year, I was like really nervous and I thought like I would get like judged because I was a freshman, but then like throughout the years I realized it’s just fun and like no one cares and that it’s worth going”. Shields said.
For many students, homecoming isn’t just another typical event; it is a highlight of the school year, and it holds a special place in students’ hearts.
“Homecoming’s important to me just because it’s fun, it’s like the homecoming game and the dance, like that whole weekend is always just something fun that people look forward to every year, ” Kuhnhein said.
One way to really experience homecoming is to be in the homecoming court. Ella Cunningham is a freshman at the College of Charleston and was the 2024 Highlands High School homecoming queen.
“Well, I had always loved homecoming, thought it was super fun uh, yeah, I just thought of it as a super fun time, and I feel like as I got older, like the social part of it became more like just more fun as the years went on, like making new friends, like, yeah,” Cunningham said.
During the homecoming game, they announce the homecoming queen and king. FCCLA members and faculty take time to count each vote to find out each year’s winners. For Cunningham, it was special.
“Uhm, it was definitely a good feeling knowing that I had been voted for by my class, but it was also fun being on court with like all my friends too.”
Even though they announce the king and queen during the homecoming game, they all still take time to honor them during the dance.
“So we obviously crown the king and queen at the game on Friday, but at the actual dance, it’s kind of awkward; they make everyone split into two sides to make kind of a pathway, and the king and queen walk down it.” Cunningham said.
With all the planning and thought put into homecoming, it makes it a fun night for everyone. The work that Ahren Wagner the leader of FCCLA and all the FCCLA members do for the making of homecoming is outstanding.
“Homecoming’s important to me just because it’s fun-like it, it’s like the homecoming game and the dance, like that whole weekend is always just something fun that people look forward to every year,” Kuhnhein said.
