With the approaching SAT day and college application deadline, October has been a busy month for the Pine Crest community, particularly upperclassmen. As a respite from the workload, the Upper School Student Council contrived a list of activities for the highly anticipated homecoming week.  Our school pride showed no signs of stopping, demonstrated by the creative hallway decorations, impressive outfits on dress down days, and the beautiful drawing of Guy Fieri’s face on the atrium floor!

Read below for a recap of each day’s festivities during homecoming week.

Tuesday

On Tuesday morning, the Upper School congregated in Stacy Auditorium to hear more about the nominees for Homecoming King and Queen before casting their vote. After a “Carpool Karaoke” video, Mr. Curran read the candidates’ speeches. To keep with tradition, the speeches were written by friends of Homecoming King and Queen nominees, and designed to persuade the student body to vote for their nominee. 

Later in the day, students from each grade took part in a variety of “Food Games,” including the iconic watermelon eating contest.  After school, 28 students competed in Poetry Out Loud, with this year’s champion being Dasha Peppler ‘21. The 3 v. 3 Basketball Tournament, hosted by Pine Crest’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes, ended with a victory for Chocolate Milk, the team featuring the twins Ausar and Amen Thompson ‘22, and Isaiah Ramsey ‘22.

Wednesday

While the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors were taking the PSAT, the seniors engaged in their “day of service.” The seniors split off into their advisory groups, each one participating in a different type of service, from the Lower School to Tomorrow’s Rainbow.

Lip Sync Battles took place later in Stacy Auditorium. Two representatives from each grade went head-to-head in a battle for the best performance. Juniors Luke Fatovic and Josh Perper won for the second year in a row, followed by the seniors in second place, the sophomores in third, and the freshmen in fourth.

All students headed to Banks Field for the Giant Relay Race, where participants competed in a series of events including the three-legged race, Dizzy Bat and Run, and Toilet Paper Unroll. 

The day’s festivities concluded with that evening’s Playing for Change, a biannual charity concert co-chaired by Justin Koolik ‘21 and Sophia Alkon ‘20. All proceeds were donated to Best Buddies, a nonprofit organization that assists people with intellectual disabilities. The Super Smash Bros Tournament and the Rho Kappa History Bowl both ended with victories for the juniors.

Thursday

Thursday’s events began with a dodgeball tournament, followed by the Tug-of-War between grades, and ended into the powderpuff game on Banks Field.  Although the field was soon swamped with torrential downpour, the junior and senior girls continued to play strong defense, with the final game ending in a tie of 7-7.  Unfortunately, the boys’ dances were rescheduled for February.

Friday

Pine Crest ended the school day with a pep rally in Stacy Gym, featuring the Pine Crest football players and the PC varsity cheer team. Each grade decorated the bleachers with yellow, red, blue, or orange and black. Class representatives competed in games such as the Sheet Race and Hungry Hungry Humans. 

At the homecoming game that evening, Brence Platner and Natalia Hauser were crowned Homecoming King and Queen during halftime. Pine Crest students and faculty packed onto the bleachers, cheering on their fellow Panthers. The game ended with a Pine Crest loss against Somerset Academy Silver Palms. 

Saturday

Homecoming week closed with the annual homecoming dance. In keeping with the Disney theme, the venue was filled with balloons and cardboard cutouts of Disney characters. Students danced the night away with their classmates, marking the end of a momentous week. 

A word from our Student Council President, Katie Sullivan ‘20:

“I think just like most of the students here at Pine Crest: Homecoming is my favorite week of the school year. It is a time where students can let go, have some fun, and get out of their comfort zone. At the end of each Homecoming week, I always feel even closer to my grade…As Student Council President, it has been really amazing to see all of the planning and scheduling that has gone into Hoco week finally come to fruition. Everyone has worked so hard to make this week as great as it could be, and I really believe all of hours, weeks, and months that went into planning Homecoming are paying off. As a senior, I am really going to miss Homecoming and all of the people that have made it so special.”