Students are taking these first days of school to get adjusted to new classes, homework, and extracurricular activities, but they also have something else looming over their heads: homecoming.  The homecoming festivities this year are unusually early, starting just three weeks after the beginning of school.  This time crunch affected everyone involved; students are preparing for spirit week, people are organizing hallway decorations, and students preparing for spirit week and the dance.

  The dance was held on Oct. 12 last year, but this year it is scheduled two weeks earlier, on Saturday, Sept. 27.  The only home football game before Senior night is during Columbus Day week, which holds PSATs and is a short week.  Sept. 27 was the latest that homecoming could be held.

  The Student Council Association (SCA) coordinates every aspect of homecoming week, including the spirit days, hallway themes, and Fair at the Falls. “Homecoming is our kick off for the year,” SCA outreach liaison Anisha Mathur says.  Because homecoming is one of SCA’s biggest events of the year, it requires a lot of planning.  “We came to school two weeks before everyone else.  Everyday.”  said SCA student liaison Tarina Ayazi.  SCA spent this time outlining events for the whole year and making plans for homecoming week.

  The scramble to prepare extends to hallway decorating as well.  Senior Alia Haddad has been involved with hallway decorating for the past few years, but even for her, this year seems rushed.  “We are still getting accustomed to our workload from school – AP Comparative Government and Economics and all our other subjects.  And now we have to do homecoming as well, so I think it’s going to be hard.  We aren’t going to be able to put as much effort into it  if we want to balance our grades.”  Students on the Senior Advisory Board must similarly balance their time between adjusting to school and working on the hallway, but just two weeks before the dance, the designs and ideas for the senior hallway have not been released, according the Haddad.  “Apparently the officers have some inside details, but none of us know anything about it.”

  Students have less time to prepare for the spirit days as well.  Senior Alex Paganelli is known to participate and dress up for the homecoming spirit week, and this time crunch doesn’t seem to affect her. “I usually prepare the night before and slap my costume together in a couple of hours anyways.”