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Homecoming week continues
Students at Mountain Home High School continued to showcase their Tiger spirit this week as they prepared for this year's fall homecoming.
The week-long celebration culminates Friday evening as the Mountain Home Tigers take on the Caldwell Cougars at Tiger Field.
Events this year center around the high school's homecoming theme, "It's game time." Each class took that theme to heart as they put their talents to work translating those words into various creations, which remain on display at the high school and across Mountain Home.
The yearly homecoming preparations started Saturday morning as members of the high school's Artopia club decorated the windows of four, local-area businesses. Among them was senior Taaron Moore, who was busy drawing an outline of a video arcade game console on one window of the Jackson Street Sweets store in the city's downtown area. At the same time, seniors Miriam Walker, Allie Foy and Elizabeth Orban were giving the Super Mario Bros. video game a "Mountain Home Tigers makeover" as they painted the game characters on an adjoining window.
Meanwhile, students from each class spent the weekend transforming the hallways of the high school into various depictions of popular games. In the senior hallway, for example, several members of the graduating class were busy twisting together lengths of paper that would help create a simulated vortex representing the transition from reality to the world of computer-based virtual reality.
"We have a reputation to uphold," said senior class president Mike Parkinson as he highlighted a desire to win this year's hallway decorating contest. It was a lofty goal that would continue a trend set by the 2011 graduating class, which won last year's contest.
However, the senior class faced plenty of competition from their under classmen, each one hoping to secure their own bragging rights.
In the adjoining hallway, the junior class was creating a lifesized version of the Candy Land children's game. Heather Baronsky used spray adhesive to attach bowls representing candy gumdrops as she created the pathway through the Gundrop Mountains. Meanwhile, junior Christopher Parkhill knitted together a simulated patch of green leaves made from paper that would become part of a tree suspended over their hallway.
It took the sophomore class more than 14 hours over a two-day period to turn their hallway into an oversized version of the Monopoly board game, according to sophomore Manuel Hernandez. Sets of six-sided dice, each measuring nearly three feet across, greeted students as they walked down the hallway.
Above the sophomore lockers were poster-sized versions of each Monopoly property. Meanwhile, a water fountain was pressed into service as the Water Works utility company.
"Ours is the best," Hernandez said regarding the sophomore hallway.
This year marked the third year the freshmen class joined the hallway decorating competition following their move to the high school in 2009. Staying true to the board game motif, they decked out the hallway in the school annex in a "who done it" version of the Clue board game.
Athletic competitions will continue to highlight the competitive spirit of homecoming week. Action began Monday evening during the annual macho man volleyball match that pitted the seniors against the juniors.
With the seniors easily winning the first game, 25-16, the juniors battled back from a 1-8 deficit in the second contest to pull off a 27-25 upset. The scoring remained close in the third with the seniors squeaking by with a 25-23 win before they clinched the match with a second 25-23 win.
These friendly competitions continued Tuesday afternoon as the sophomore, junior varsity and varsity volleyball squads competed in the high school gym.
Events will move to Tiger Field today, Sept. 19, as the school's female juniors and seniors compete in this year's powder puff football contest. Members of the school's football squads will serve as coaches during the game, which begins at 7 p.m. Admission is $2 or a donation of two canned goods per person.
Another homecoming tradition started last Friday after the school announced its candidates for this year's royal court. Men and women from each class were selected by their classmates during the annual voting.
School officials will crown this year's homecoming king and queen and the rest of the royal court at halftime during the homecoming game.
Also this week, students continued to demonstrate their Tiger pride by participating in daily theme events. It began with a "partners in crime" dress-up event on Monday with the junior class hosting an obstacle course competition during lunchtime.
Tuesday's theme focused on "zombie day" with the freshmen class scheduling a scavenger hunt over the lunch break. The school is featuring "senior day" today, Sept. 19, with the sophomore class planning a lunchtime money box competition.
The yearly dress-up day continues Thursday, Sept. 20, during "hobo day" with the senior class planning to host a life-sized Frogger contest during lunch. Starting at 4 p.m. that day, students will join forces to decorate the high school gym in preparation for the following day's pep rally.
Homecoming week moves into full gear Friday with a homecoming assembly that starts at 12:40 p.m. in the high school gym. Students are encouraged to show up that day in their orange and black attire as part of this year's Tiger Day.
The homecoming parade through Mountain Home will continue at 2 p.m. with pre-game festivities following at 6 p.m. during a tailgate party at Tiger Field. The Mountain Home Tigers then put their pride on the line as they take on the Caldwell Cougars at 7 p.m. that evening.
Homecoming week winds down during the fall homecoming dance, which runs from 9 p.m. to midnight that night in the high school gym.
For more information on homecoming week, call the high school at 587-2570 or go online to www.mtnhomesd.org and select the Mountain Home High School link.