When a new school year commences, there’s one thing students and staff alike can look forward to– Homecoming week! This October, Ridgeview’s Wolfpack participated in a legendary theme of “A Night in Vegas.” Our varsity football team later faced Independence High School in the big home game, and ended with a score of Score.
Deb Whitbey, third-year Activity Director, announced, “This year, we’re doing something completely different.” The homecoming game was a historic event for Ridgeview, as it was the first time students had the opportunity to perform on top of various trailers and trucks. With the introduction of something so new, Whitbey confessed, “It’s just a lot different than what we’ve done in the past…the safety and security has been the biggest challenge this year because of the large scale that this is going to be on.” However, ASB was strongly supported by Administrators, and all of the planned productions were extremely successful. Whitbey continued to spark excitement for the night, stating, “The performances are…something that we haven’t done at Ridgeview in 30 years…we just hope they remember it.”
Parmpreet Bhangoo, ASB Vice President, says, “People think we have a million dollars in ASB…there’s so much stuff that goes into it…more than people think.” This year, each class followed the Vegas theme and selected hotels for their dances, with freshmen representing the Flamingo, sophomores the Caesar Palace, juniors featuring casinos, and seniors the esteemed New York-New York Hotel. Grade ended up taking home the win with their spectacular showing. When it came to finalizing the details of the week, Bhangoo talked about the difficulties of coming to a consensus, voicing, “Not everyone will agree with your opinion.” Bhangoo ultimately was able to deal with conflicts effectively by “Listening to every single leader, because they might see from a perspective that I’m not, and sometimes by doing that it just makes it better.” He concluded by emphasizing, “I just want [students] to feel connected…I just want them to have fun.”
Jared Gonzalez, Senior Class Vice President, was responsible for organizing Senior activities, including the Senior dance and performance. He recalls his personal experience with homecoming, expressing, “It changes your feelings of homecoming once you’re in leadership…Before, all I really wondered is…I hope I like it…Now, all my thoughts on homecoming are…is it going to be good? Are people going to enjoy it?” Despite his worries, he ended on a positive note, encouraging the Wolfpack by saying, “I really want them to go back. I feel like that’s the whole point of it…You want them to enjoy their time and just go back the next year.”
With the crowning of Girl as Homecoming Queen and Boy as Homecoming King, Ridgeview’s unforgettable Homecoming week came to a close. Whitbey praises ASB and reminds students by ending, “I want you to know that your leadership team has worked very, very hard to make this a very memorable homecoming…and just have a good time, because that’s what it’s all about!”
