Through the many themes Potomac Falls has had over the years, whether it be Let the Games Begin in 2015 to Decades in 2001, students are always passionate and involved with Homecoming. While many are excited for the good times ahead, some students are still hesitant about this year’s homecoming theme: Dr. Seuss.

  “I don’t know how it’s going to work,” said sophomore Farah Turkistani.

  Though some students are still unsure about this theme, many of the students have embraced it.

  “At first I didn’t really like it, but as I was thinking more about it, I realized that although it’s really different and kind of odd, maybe we could work on something. I think it would be really cool to decorate our homecoming hallways as The Lorax, or any other Dr. Seuss book,” said sophomore Rhea Agarwal.

  Many events are planned in order to make this week a success.

SPIRIT WEEK

  Spirit week begins on Tuesday, Oct. 11. Each day of that week leading up to the dance will have a specific theme for everyone to dress up as.

  Tues.,  Oct. 11 is Pajama Day

  Wed., Oct. 12 is Thing 1 and Thing 2 Day

  Thu.,  Oct. 13 is Doctor Day

  Fri., Oct. 14 is Class Color Day

  Many students questioned the expectations of “Doctor Day,” as in dressing as an actual doctor or as something related to Doctor Seuss, so Lisa Ryan, the SCA Community Outreach Liaison clarified and said it’s “up for your own interpretation.” Students can wear whatever they feel applies to this theme. This “think outside the hat” motto pertains to all the other themes as well, so rest assured, students shouldn’t be worried if they’ll wear something completely different  than someone else; it’s to be expected.

HALLWAY DECORATING

  Another new change this year is the switch from decorating the class’s assigned hallways to the stairwells.

  “I like it. I think it’s cool; we’ll see how it goes,” said sophomore Kenya Lopez.

  Freshmen chose And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street as their theme and decorated the the English to Tech Ed stairwell. Sophomores chose The Lorax, and decorated the science to FACS stairwell. Juniors chose The Grinch, and are displaying their work in the history to foreign language stairwell. Seniors chose Oh, the Places You’ll Go!  and decorated the English to marketing stairwell. Additionally, this year is the first in that the decorations will stay up for the entire week. In previous years, they had to be taken down after judging was complete. Also, students got to complete the decorating process over the weekend, instead of coming in early and/or staying late.

  “We’re really hoping to have an awesome stairwell, so we can win the competition [and] rack up some more spirit points,” said Stephanie Son, junior class president.      

PEP RALLY

  Rumors have been swirling about the location of the pep rally. As of now, the pep rally will be held outside on the football field and the track. This is new, considering it has never been outside before. Anthony Lopresti, the SCA Sergeant-at-Arms, confirmed this new pep rally addition.

  “That’s our plan A, but [only if] it’s weather permitting. If it’s raining or if it’s too hot to be outside, then it’ll be inside,” said Lopresti. SCA was inspired to make this change based on suggestions from the students and by what they have seen at other schools.

  “We really wanted to do something different. Sometimes people get scared of change, but in our eyes, we think it’s a really good idea. We heard of other schools doing it and they’ve always had a really fun time. So, we just think it’d be cool. Also, this is the best time to have it. There will be games that incorporate the whole stadium, track, and field,” said Dede Gilmore, the SCA Vice President.

FAIR AT THE FALLS

  In front of the school, on Friday, Oct. 14, the third annual Fair at the Falls will take place.  This block party includes: inflatables, carnival games, fair food, and other activities.  This party is open not only to students, but to the community as well. This event takes place after school at 4:30  and runs until the start of the homecoming football game.

  Many of the student run clubs and organizations are participating.  “All the advisory boards are helping out. We [also] have the cheerleaders, strategy club, [along with] a lot of other clubs [that] have offered to help as well. We’re following up with that and trying to get more to join,” said Jack Taylor, SCA Student Liaison.

  A new addition to the party this year is the food trucks. Attendees will have many options to choose from.

  “There’s going to be a Mediterranean one, a cookie one, like milk and cookies, and we’re working on a barbeque one,” said Mackenzie Dorsey, SCA president. “There’s [also] going to be spin-art, a D.J., a dunk tank and perhaps a surprise at the end.”

  SCA wouldn’t elaborate about the surprise besides the fact it exists, so be sure to check it out. Don’t forget, the fair starts at 4:30.

POWDER PUFF FOOTBALL GAME

  The boys football game isn’t the only one scheduled for that week. Powder Puff is planned for Thursday the 13th. In this game, girls from the junior and senior classes will go head-to-head in a battle for superiority. Tickets are $6 and the game starts at 7:00 p.m. but gates open at 6:15 p.m.

  In order to prepare for their big game, both teams have been practicing since Oct. 5.

  “At practice we scrimmage each other often and do tons of drills,” said senior Hannah Evans.

  This year, instead of worrying about slipping and sliding if the grass is wet, they can easily play on the brand new turf.

  “I’m so excited to play on the new turf field,” said senior Karis Roberts.

  Though feature Friday has been painting it otherwise, some players aren’t as confident as they seem. The juniors may have their work cut out for them if they want to take down the seniors.

  “We practice everyday after school and constantly do drills, [but] honestly, the seniors are going to win. The juniors have no idea what they’re doing,” said junior Kathryn Warnecki.

FOOTBALL GAME

  Potomac Falls will face 3-4 Briar Woods in Friday’s game.  Already, the team is preparing for a win.

  “We expect to win, but we know Briar is a good team, so we have to play like we know how and we’ll come out on top,” said senior linebacker Matt Macioce. After an overtime loss, 24-17, to rival Tuscarora, the Panthers hope to focus and execute in our conference matchup with the Falcons.  

  “We expect to bounce back from the loss and get a quality win for our school on homecoming,” said junior tight end Grant Griffith.

  The loss has motivated the players to do whatever is necessary to secure a victory on Friday.  “We have never felt so bad after a loss. Everyone will be giving 100% every down. We will wrap up and bring them down immediately. Conference games are extremely important and we need this win,” said senior running back Kashmier Jackson.

DANCE

  To culminate the crazy homecoming week, SCA has a special dance planned. To make it a night to remember, SCA is working on creating memorable decorations. Hot air balloons, Lorax trees, kites, paper flowers and pom poms are all planned for display at the dance. Many students agree this is their favorite part of Homecoming week.

  “[I like] hanging out with my friends. Usually before homecoming, we eat together and we take pictures. And during homecoming we dance and get to see people that we didn’t come with, but I’m still friends with. It’s just a really good time,” said Lopez.

Kyra Breslow, Olivia Miller and Arthur Harris all contributed to this article.