[ot-caption title=”StuCo President and Senior Brittany Paris celebrates with the Class of 2015 during this year’s pep rally. (via Ruchika Sharma, Senior)” url=”https://pcpawprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/persfinal.jpg”]

This year’s Homecoming was a huge success. Pine Crest spirit and class unity were on display through dress down days, sidewalk chalk decorations, decorated hallways, familiar cheers, and the melodious sound of the Pep Band. More importantly, the Homecoming spirit was on display as the entire PC community–students, teachers, parents and alumni all came together. The atmosphere at the Homecoming football game on Friday night was sensational and the Panthers played a phenomenal game, despite coming up just short. Seniors Garret Levine and Olivia Paul were crowned Homecoming King and Queen. Not to mention, the Class of 2015 made Pine Crest history, winning the Spirit Stick for the third straight year. Each class had a unique experience during Homecoming 2014, from freshmen and sophomores, to juniors and the reigning spirit stick winning seniors.

[accordion][acc title=”Freshmen – Zach Shevin”]Our first high school Homecoming was a blast; we are already super excited for next year’s Homecoming. Whether decorating the World Language wing, cheering at the pep rally, or participating in any of the fun events, the entire freshman class had a great time. We got soaked during the water balloon toss. We applauded the phenomenal performers at the Playing for Change concert. We ducked, dipped, dove, and dodged during the dodgeball game. We watched the other classes perform their Powderpuff dances. And as for our dance, well, at least we participated. We cheered on our Pine Crest Panthers at the homecoming football game. The freshman class might not have been the most spirited, we did not canstruct anything and our Change War bucket seemed to have more bills than coins. We may have been far from contending for the Spirit Stick, but we did have a great time. Is that not what homecoming is about? Whether wearing freshman red or Panther green, one thing can be agreed upon: We are the freshest kids on the block.[/acc][/accordion]

[accordion][acc title=”Sophomores – Amanda Rabin”]Redemption was the theme for the 2014-2015 Sophomores, who were trying to improve upon their subpar performance last year. During the 2013 Homecoming, we only brought in about 30 cans and did not even have a Powderpuff dance. We were determined to improve and make a legacy of our own, so we banded together and brought in 349 cans. We continuously tried to collect more spirit points by bringing in bags and bags of coins for the Change War. We ended up bringing home a third place finish right behind the juniors and cannot wait for next year to finally bring the spirit stick to the Class of 2017.[/acc][/accordion]

[accordion][acc title=”Juniors – Andrea Chalem”]During this year’s homecoming, the junior class took the initial groan about the not-so-loved color of orange and completely transformed it into a burst of excitement. One color was not enough to represent the Class of 2016, so the juniors became Halloween. Halloween and Class of 2016 became synonymous with a spookily decorated hallway, a haunted house canstruction, and even a ghost and skeleton featured at the pep rally.  We were very excited for the Powderpuff game. Our defeat on the last play left a bittersweet feeling in the air, but as junior Jordyn Elliott said, “Despite the depressing loss, the team is now focused on fixing our mistakes because we really want to win our Senior year.” Perhaps the most memorable moment of homecoming for the Class of 2016 was the incredible halftime performance led by Colby Lanthrop, which helped unite the junior class. We may not have won the spirit stick, but this Homecoming proved to be about so much more than a stick, with a true feeling of unity, happiness and spirit. Junior Class Vice President Ashby Bland said, “There’s nothing better than seeing your hard work make people happy.” We guarantee that the Class of 2106 will be back next year and better than ever.[/acc][/accordion]

[accordion][acc title=”Seniors – Lindsay Sack”]For the Senior class, this year’s homecoming was an incredible way to finish off our past four years. We have always embraced unity in order to earn the coveted spirit stick. On Wednesday, we worked together to create an amazing hallway filled with pictures from years past, intricate chalk drawings of retro video games, and massive banners bearing ’15-inspired phrases like “WE RUN TH15” and “YOU W15H YOU WERE US.  The song “Black and Yellow” could be heard booming from speakers where hoards of seniors danced on the reflecting pool. On Thursday, it was finally our time to wear the Senior black. The senior class Powderpuff team spent the past few weeks learning plays and skills and were excited for the game.  The score remained 0-0 at the end of the first half. At halftime, the senior class lived up to our reputation of well choreographed halftime dances, as the guys performed  an animated routine filled with impressive stunts and dance sequences. The roar of the senior class as the dancers struck their final pose was overwhelming. Seeing our dancers perform for the last time was bittersweet, and it was clear that our legacy would end on a high note. Then, as the game wound down to the final four seconds, we broke through and scored a touchdown to win the Powerderpuff game. For the Senior class, the highlight of  Friday’s pep rally was the scream contest. Our yells were deafening, reverberating throughout the gym and lasting for minutes. Our past two spirit stick victories had come as a surprise: we never thought that sophomores would win, nor did we think that a class would win twice in a row. But this year was different. At halftime of the Homecoming Game, the seniors formed a mob at the edge of the field, ready to charge the field in celebration. It is clear how much the spirit stick means to the Class of 2015. We created a legacy, a dynasty, as the first class to win the spirit stick three times.[/acc][/accordion]