It’s homecoming season again, and the many traditions are starting to make themselves known. The traditions come in a wide variety – the annual homecoming game draws a large crowd, and the whole week leading up to the big game is filled with dress up days for the student body to participate in. One of the more newer traditions that is becoming very prominent is the creativity involved in asking someone to the homecoming dance. Whatever you’re looking for in the HOCO week, it’s a great time of the year. So the question is… what tradition trumps all others? 

Junior Gabriella Laureano, who asked someone to be her date to homecoming, is the perfect candiDATE as an expert on the experience. 

“Well, I had to make sure it was okay with her parents,” Laureano said. “I didn’t want it to be a problem with me asking her. After I got the OK, it was pretty easy from there. I just went to her house with the sign that I had made and did what just about everyone one else does. Knocked on her door and surprised her when she opened it. Fortunately, she said yes and I had a good time during the process.” 

To include a creative aspect, Laureano made the sign personal to the person she asked. 

“I think it showed I really cared about what I was doing and that I really wanted her to be my date,” Laureano said. “I think my idea translated well into the sign I made. I used something we had in common and gave a little spin to correlate with homecoming and it turned out really good.”

Another tradition that’s very popular in a lot of places, but especially Texas, is the homecoming football game.

“The homecoming game is something that everyone can get behind,” junior Matteus Araujo said. “Even if sports isn’t something that someone enjoys, they can always come for the experience of the crowd and the bonding among the students there.”

Araujo said that the excitement of the crowd is what makes the game a top tier tradition. 

“Nothing beats the crowd’s excitement at the game,” Araujo said. “The players are aware of the atmosphere just as much as the students. Usually the other side is in it as well. Especially rivals, they wouldn’t want to lose any game, but when it’s packed like a night like homecoming, emotions and tensions run high.”

Araujo said that during the homecoming game, students are psyched up even more than usual. 

“You know everyone is excited about the dance as well, so there’s a lot of excitement in the student section,” Araujo said. “[It’s] good because it lets our players know we are rooting for them and that we believe in them.”

Many Spartans expressed their enjoyment of the homecoming dress up days, and only a few commented that they did not enjoy the whimsical tradition. By far, many are excited about the latest trend in spirit days – anything but a backpack day.

“It’s fun to do something that we haven’t done before,” junior Landon Ballard said. “We always have the typical dress up days, but this one is different and will be fun to see what people bring.” 

Regardless of which HOCO tradition is your favorite, we can all agree that the atmosphere during homecoming week is different from any other during the school year. Memories are made, laughs are had and hopefully the homecoming football game is a WIN for the Spartans!