This past week, Amador Valley celebrated the anticipated arrival of the annual Homecoming dance. Bringing the entire school community together, students experienced a full week of spirit days. A rally followed, culminating in the dance.
Spirit Week
By participating in events like spirit days, students who are new to or still adjusting to high school are helped to integrate into a larger school community.
“I think spirit weeks are really fun and the students get to do all the silly things they want to do. It’s a great way to enhance the school’s participation in the school community,” said Grace Choe (‘27).
The leadership committees from each grade diligently plan all the exciting and unique themes from this year. They also keep in mind what has worked in previous years.
“There’s actually a very big brainstorming process that happens before the school year even starting at the [leadership] retreat where we make a huge list of all the spirit days we’ve done before or look at trends. A new thing we’re doing is camouflage versus animal print because that’s the new trend that’s happening this year,” said Jiya Channon (‘26).
To increase engagement and participation, planners considered current trends when organizing spirit days. This ensures that spirit weeks remain relevant and fun for all.
“We definitely like to take inspiration from other schools and social media. We like to see what other kids are engaged with at other schools so we can figure out how we can bring that same engagement to our school,” said Junior Class Treasurer Karina Badger (‘26).
Homecoming Rally
Finally, the homecoming rally marks the end of the spirited week before the big event: the homecoming dance. Students poured into the football stadium to view the hard work in their class floats, games, and performances.
“My favorite part of the rally had to be floats. All the officers for all the grades worked so hard on their floats and got to see all the classes appreciate them and rally hope about Homecoming because Homecoming is fun and they need to be reminded of that,” said Badger.
People loved the proposals created for the dance, making the posters and proposals even more enjoyable to see.
“My favorite part was probably Paul Tia’s Hoco proposal. I watched him put a lot of thought into that and it was great to see it all come to life and watch how entertaining it was,” said ASB President Tayor Cohn (‘25).
The Dance
The long-awaited Homecoming Dance gathered a crowd of diverse individuals from different grades. It was a time to make memories, dance the night away, and enjoy a party on campus.
“The best part of the Hoco dance was the photobooths. It was great that I got to create memories with my friends,” said Malvika Nagaraj (‘26).
The entire homecoming week showcases the joy and pride of the community at Amador.
“It kind of reminds students that school doesn’t just have to be about academics. You can also have a good time and be happy,” said Badger.
