My husband and I are lucky to be involved in the lives of our wonderful granddaughters who go to the high school and middle school in Richmond Hill.
This has allowed me to see traditions that are new to me and completely different to anything that I experienced as a schoolgirl in England back in the 1970s and 80s.
When I first heard about homecoming, I understood the idea that former pupils were coming back for a school reunion, but I did not expect it to involve such extensive celebrations and numerous events. At my very proper all-girls school in north west London, we had and still have ‘Old Girls’ day which is when the school opens up on a Saturday in May for alumni to hear a speech from the headmistress in the assembly hall and a traditional British tea. Very few, if any, of the current students are in attendance and after the speeches there is a genteel sipping of hot Earl Grey tea as we nibble on cucumber sandwiches, scones and biscuits (what the British call cookies). It is very different to the exuberant, weeklong events involved in the American homecoming experience and really underscores the differences between our two great nations. Nobody warned me that the return of last year’s high school graduates would involve football, crowning of the homecoming king and queen, a dance and an entire week of dressing up!
I am always fascinated by the history of any tradition and learned that some of the very first “coming home” celebrations happened in the 1870s during the annual Harvard-Yale football game. Both universities invited alumni to return home for the big game, making it a special day for students and former students alike. These early events included many of the things we still see today: pep rallies, parades, speeches, and dances. The goal was always the same: to unite students and alumni, as well as to boost school pride.
By the 1920s and 1930s, high schools started having their own homecoming celebrations. They wanted to copy college traditions and boost school spirit.
High schools added their own twists, like homecoming courts, parades, and dances.
As with so much in the South, football games are central to these homecoming celebrations. I am sure this is one big reason why homecoming is in the fall rather than the spring, as well as being closer to the start of the school year.
As is often the case for me in comparing things to my reserved English early life, the sheer energy and enthusiasm of students, alumni and families celebrating homecoming together is a bit overwhelming.
One big surprise was how much homecoming extended beyond the field.
Families met friends they had known for years. Former pupils came back and pointed out how much the school had changed. Children raced around while grandparents like ourselves, settled in waiting for a glimpse of our young family members among the cheerleaders or marching band or the players.
My confusion began well before the big game, as my granddaughters tried to explain Spirit Week to me. I wondered why students were participating in themed dressup days and lunch activities? To get excited about the big football game apparently! Then the pep rally. Naively I had imagined a brisk announcement wishing the team luck rather than a gym filled with music, cheering, performances, and an endearing level of very American collective enthusiasm. Of course, parades featuring student groups, the band and local family gatherings are an important warm up for homecoming.
There were, however, several further homecoming mysteries to solve. A homecoming court was announced which involved students selected for an honor, with a king and queen crowned at the game. I watched families beam and take photographs while I tried to work out whether one should applaud before or after the crowns went on. I did both to be on the safe side.
Finally, there was the homecoming dance. I thought that this might be a bit more like the informal school discos with lukewarm beverages we experienced back in my day but no, it seems to be a version of the prom night with formal dress, photos and more.
This is obviously a key date in the modern, American high-schoolers calendar! There is a lot more information at www. history. com I must admit that I am thrilled that my granddaughters are thoroughly enjoying every aspect of American school life, although watching them has left me just a little wistful about the comparatively lackluster – and dare I say dreary? – school days of my own youth back in England. Perhaps that is what I like most about homecoming. Beneath all the football, crowns, costumes, marching bands and wonderfully American enthusiasm is something rather simple: making memories with people you care about. And judging by the smiles on my granddaughters’ faces, they are making some very good ones indeed.
God bless America!
Lesley grew up in London, England and made Georgia her home in 2009.
She can be contacted at lesley@lesleyfrancispr. com or via her PR and marketing agency at www.lesleyfrancispr. com