Homecoming is a cherished tradition across our country with a long and storied history. Some say the origins of homecoming dates back to 1911, when the University of Missouri’s Athletic Director, Chester Brewer, invited alumni to celebrate the location of their new football field by attending the annual game against University of Kansas. Others say that it started the year prior, when two seniors from the University of Illinois planned an event around their annual game against the Chicago Maroons. It was a game that ended in defeat for seven years running and the boys were hoping to turn the losing streak around with some good old morale boosting fun! While there may be some argument about when and where it all started, the celebrations share the same basic mix of alumni, dances, parades and social events all based around a football game.
Some schools have long standing traditions, such as the Texas Mums, which started when boys presented their dates with chrysanthemum corsages. Everything is bigger in the Lone Star State and in this tradition, that adage holds very true. What started as a single corsage has turned into huge flower arrangements the size of dinner plates, with trinkets, stuffed animals and ribbons trailing to the floor. Other schools have more colorful traditions, such as the Speedo Dash courtesy of the Water Polo Team at Cupertino High School, near San Jose, CA. After the King and Queen are crowned, the Water Polo team charges the field donning only their speedos.
Even if you weren’t directly involved with homecoming, it’s probably a safe bet that you can remember the celebrations and excitement surrounding the event. Stroudsburg Area High School shares the same basic traditions of typical homecoming celebrations, with a really fun twist. The Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior classes each find a secure location to build an original float for the annual parade. WPRP was thrilled to be a part of their tradition by providing a portion of our warehouse space at our East Stroudsburg, PA Quick Ship location. Headed up by faculty members Janet Robison and Sandee Striba, and supervised by parents, the Sophomore class made quick work of planning and building their float.
It all starts with an annual assembly where the class officers unveil the theme which is chosen by the senior class. The theme this year was Disney Villains. The students must then work within the criteria to build their float. All materials must be donated; this includes costumes, props, warehouse space and even the tractor trailer that pulls the float. Students are not permitted to work on their floats during class time and since floats are to remain top secret until the day of the parade, spying on the competitors could result in disqualification. All work takes place at their off campus site with adult supervision.
Judging is based on back drop, participation and enthusiasm, a five minute skit, construction, sound quality, special features and overall effect. Skits are original and must be written and recorded by the students. The students are even responsible for their own audio effects. Louder is not always better and the music must be appropriate for all audiences. Each class contributes $30 from their account to participate in the event. The winning class will get their $30 back, which they save, along with fund raising proceeds, to off-set senior year activity expenses.
This year, the Sophomore class with their theme of “Sleeping Beauty”, came in third. The students and float are pictured below, flanked by WPRP’s Josh Smith on the left and Rich Wyckoff on the right. The Freshman class took fourth place with their “101 Dalmatians” float. Second place went to the Seniors for “Hercules” and the Juniors nabbed first place with “Peter Pan”.
At WPRP, Our Goal is to Help You and giving back to the community is something we truly believe in. What a fun and memorable event this is for the students, and we are grateful that they chose our warehouse as their top secret location. It was an honor for WPRP to be a part of their homecoming tradition.
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