Hannah Foley ’14
Staff Writer

Before Homecoming:

As a freshman, I’ve heard some pretty scary things about Homecoming, like drinking and for some students, trips to the hospital, but what freaks me out the most is the thought of actually going to the game and not knowing what to expect.

I can probably speak for most freshmen when I say that Homecoming is going to be a new experience. There’s nothing like it in middle school, well, at least for me there wasn’t. I didn’t go to Bedford or Coleytown; instead I came from a small Catholic school.

To go from wearing knee-high socks and plaid skirts, no more than two inches above the knee, to wearing whatever I want and being able to do anything during my free periods has been great, and hopefully Homecoming will only add to the oh-my-gosh-what-have-I-been-missing-out-on feeling.

My old school didn’t have a football team. There are actually only a couple of basketball teams and a cross-country team, so the closest thing we had to Homecoming was a volleyball game between the eighth grade (there were only 27 of us) and the faculty. We always defeated the teachers but they usually put up a good fight.

For me, I’m actually not that scared about going to the game, I’m just… anxious to see how the crowd acts and to see what happens. I have heard everything about Homecoming from “it’s the best time of the year” to “it’s just another chance for kids to drink.” Why can’t we just find a happy medium?

I know I’m not the only person who doesn’t want to see (or hear) about a repeat of last year.

Not only would another incident cancel Homecoming but it could also hurt the school’s reputation. I love coming to Staples every morning, and I love telling my friends about how great it is and about how much fun I have, but in a conversation I don’t want people to respond, “oh, I heard that your Homecoming was cancelled because you were all drinking.” Talk about a mood changer.

Everything that happens at the school has an effect. For example, when the school wins an award we’re praised for it but at the same time events like last year’s game can tarnish our reputation.

I really hope that this year the students have respect for not only the game, but for themselves and Staples. We are offered so many opportunities here, and we shouldn’t take them for granted.

This year I hope that we have a great Homecoming and that we can show everyone how great Staples is. Go Wreckers!

After Homecoming:

Despite my fears of attending my first Homecoming game, I actually had a lot of fun and the overall experience was really amazing.

At first, I was expecting to see rowdy students with beer bottles in hand, but all I saw was a respectful crowd with steaming cups of hot chocolate cheering on their fellow classmates.

As I looked at the sea of blue and white around me, I couldn’t even imagine what had happened last year. There was such a big difference. We went from sending kids off to Norwalk Hospital in ambulances to having a picture-perfect homecoming with the police officers looking relaxed on the sidelines. Talk about a huge difference.

I am so happy that the game went well this year because that means that we can have a Homecoming next year, too. To me, Homecoming is one of the biggest events of the year. Anytime you watch a movie about high school, there is usually always at least one part about the Homecoming football game or the Homecoming dance. It would have been horrible to get rid of a tradition that almost every high school in the country takes part in.

I’m so glad that the game went well and I’m really happy that I can finally say that I was part of my high school’s Homecoming football game.  It turns out that I had nothing to fear at all.