After MV partied at the Parthenon all week, students attended the annual Homecoming dance in Changnon Gymnasium.
Students danced the night away and walked out from the event, holding onto memories from an exciting dance and Spirit Week.
The Homecoming Spirit Week theme, ‘Party at the Parthenon,’ evolved from discussion and voting during a Student Council workshop on August 17.
“The theme for Homecoming 2023 came about at the back-to-school Student Council workshop in August. Student Council members were divided into four groups and hammered out a theme and activities to go with that theme. Then Student Council members voted on the theme they wanted – ‘Party at the Parthenon’ was the top choice,” shared Dr. VanZandt, Student Council Co-advisor.
When leaving the Student Council Workshop where Student Council members laid out the framework for Homecoming 2023, many members shared feeling excited about a Greek-themed Homecoming Week.
“Planning Homecoming is one the most exciting times of the year for Student Council,” said Lola Hudson, ‘26.
“I was very excited when I heard that Homecoming 2023 was Greek-themed. Greek-themed decorations and Greek-themed dress-up days would be so cute!” stated Isabella Stanford, ‘26.
The steps of planning and executing Homecoming every year are very stressful for Student Council members, Executive Board, and advisors. But the hard work and stress directly equate to a successful and acclaimed Homecoming– this year was no different.
“Overall, I thought the theme was a lot of fun and lent itself well to the spirit days of Toga Tuesday, Fraternity Wednesday, and Greece or Grease Thursday. I enjoyed seeing so many students and staff participate. The ‘A Night in Athens’ decor was excellent, too. It was a lot of work, and all worth it,” stated Dr. VanZandt.
The elected Homecoming Court members were Olivia Baumhoegger, Nolan Armstrong, Kaliegh Brumley, Bryce Depyatic, Finley Clugston, Demetrius Lenoir, Xarianna Damron, Jazin Moore, Allana Osborne, Trey Mygatt, Zariah Pierce, Navontae Nesbit Jr., Jo’elle Webster, and Trey Whipps.
Members shared their reflections on being named to the 2023 Homecoming Court.
“I always thought that being on a court would be fun. Thank you to the student body for making it possible, I appreciate you,” stated Kaliegh Brumley, ‘24.
“I’d like to say thank you to everyone who voted for me and gave me the opportunity I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” shared Trey Whipps, ‘24.
“I was honored to be a part of the Homecoming Court this year. I was shocked when I found out I was elected onto the court,” said Finley Clugston, ‘24.
The 2023 Homecoming King and Queen are Demetrius Lenoir and Olivia Baumhoegger.
“Thanks to everyone who voted for me. I’d also like to thank my family and Mr. Clodi for being here for me since day one,” shared Demetrius Lenoir, ‘24. “To the people that have a problem with me winning: I love you all, and I wish you luck in your futures,” stated Lenoir.
“Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to be Homecoming Queen. It will forever be a treasured memory. I’m so glad that my fellow students feel that I’m a good representative of our school,” said Olivia Baumhoegger, ‘24.
There were various different aspects throughout the week that students enjoyed, such as spirit days.
“My favorite spirit day was either Greek Life Day or Toga Tuesday. I liked that Sub Debs were allowed to wear our hoodies and t-shirts for Greek Life Day, and it was really funny seeing other students walking through the hallways in togas,” said Stanford.
Alongside spirit days, students also attended several school and night activities throughout the week, including a pep rally, Powder Puff Football, and Homecoming football game.
“[The spirit stick] was a great win for the Class of 2026. Despite a lack of preparation, I think we did a great job of rallying together to overcome the juniors,” said Nolan Mast, ‘26.
“I think the Junior’s Powderpuff Championship was well deserved. We all worked very hard and had the best team spirit. My favorite part was playing as a team with my closest friends and being competitive with my classmates. It was really fun, and I cannot wait for next year!” stated Emmalee Kroeschen, ‘25.
MV Student Council’s Ticket Sales Committee had the important job of selling and distributing Homecoming tickets and the iconic Homecoming t-shirts.
“We put together a ticket sales committee and met a few times to discuss the design of the tickets. We decided to stick with the Greek theme when designing them and matched the blue on the ticket with the Homecoming t-shirts. Homecoming tickets were sold the week preceding Homecoming Week. The buyer received a homecoming t-shirt with each ticket sold,” said Ticket Sales Committee Chair, Addi Tinsley, ‘25. “We sold around 740 tickets this year. I believe this is slightly higher than last year’s sales,” Tinsley stated.
Another Student Council committee teamed up with the owner of Pocketful of Sunshine, Talia Campbell, to tackle the job of decorating Changnon for ‘A Night in Athens’.
“The committee for Homecoming decorations was an excellent group. Everyone came to the first meeting with great input and ideas. The Friday before Homecoming, we helped set up the decorations for a couple of hours, and everyone worked really hard. I am really proud of the committee, and I thought the decorations looked gorgeous—Talia did a great job making our ideas a reality!” added Dance Decorations Committee Chair, Zuri Das, ‘25.
To wrap up the week of festivities, students attended the Homecoming dance, themed ‘A Night in Athens’.
“My favorite part of the Homecoming dance was seeing everyone dressed up in all the pretty dresses. Being around my friends and seeing everyone having fun and dancing with each other really made it such a fun night with great memories!” stated Gracalyn Richardson, ‘26.
“My favorite part of the homecoming dance was seeing my Ramcast Sports co-host Demetrius Lenoir win Homecoming King. He was the most deserving of the crown, and I’m happy to see him happy,” said Cam Meyer, ‘25.
Overall, Homecoming Week 2023 was overwhelmingly well-received by the MV student body. Between the creative dress-up themes, the captivating Powder Puff Football Game, and the Pep Rally, MV was treated to fun events and opportunities all week long.
“The spirit days were really fun this year and had everyone involved. To top the week off, The Sophomores won the Spirit Stick,” stated Kevin Raya, ‘26.
“My favorite part of Homecoming Week was The Powder Puff Football Game. Jonathan Pinkston and I announced the game, and it was good to see my class of 2025 pick up a back-to-back win. We’ll see all of you classes again next year,” said Meyer.
“My favorite part was dressing up and seeing everyone participate in the week. My favorite day was Greek life day,” said Parker Reynolds, ‘24.
Student Council Executive Board members expressed that they were pleased with how this year’s Homecoming dance resulted.
“I’m very proud of Homecoming 2023, I believe that Student Council did a great job working together to make sure the Homecoming week and dance ran smoothly!” stated Student Body President, Peyton Julius, ‘24.
