Homecoming 2021
There’s no doubt that Homecoming week is a huge event for NHS and the Needles community. Alumni come home to reunite with their classmates and the week is full of spirit days, pep rallies, and community activities. Needles is a historic school in a small community, so we’ve had the opportunity to develop plenty of traditions over the years.
This year’s Homecoming Week started with the Senior Sunrise on Monday, October 4th. Members of the Senior class met on the football field to watch the sunrise together. Parents donated drinks and snacks for them to enjoy while they sat and took in the beautiful colors of the sunrise signifying the beginning of the end of their high school career. For the Class of 2022, the next school year will fly by and before they know it, they will be back on that field receiving their diplomas.
On Tuesday, Oct. 5th, the annual Powder Puff festivities were held. Each class puts together a boys volleyball team and a girls flag football team. The event was set up as a bracket where the Juniors played the Sophomores, and then the Freshmen played the Seniors. Then the winners played each other. The Senior boy’s volleyball team stomped the Junior boys and the Senior girl’s flag football team destroyed the Sophomores, with both Senior teams walking away with the bragging rights.
Wednesday brought on the beloved Senior Appreciation Day or commonly referred to as S.A.D. The day before the event, each Senior was paired with one, sometimes two, Freshmen. They get roughly 12 hours to find costumes and create a skit for their counterparts to perform in the auditorium for the entire school to enjoy. After spending the morning decking out their underclassmen in their costumes, the Seniors are pushed, pulled, and slow-walked around the Vista circle so that the little ones can see what they have to look forward to one day. Once the two groups made their way back to the football field, they were given time to learn and practice their performances for that afternoon. The talent show was the culminating event of the day.
Next up on the schedule for Thursday, October 7th, the High School hosted the Mustang Drive, the community pep rally, and the bonfire. The Mustang Drive started at dusk down at Sante Fe Park and was led through town by the NHS cheerleaders. Once at the school, the community pep rally began with special alumni guest speaker, Trentin Evans, who spoke to the future grads about not wasting their opportunities. All of this led to the bonfire, one of Needles’ longest-standing traditions. The Seniors spend the day before building a giant pyre out of wood and then it is left in the hands of the Junior class who guards the pile until it is lit by the fire department. Onlookers enjoy the sight of the giant flames and walk around visiting with friends and alumni.
The week concludes with Friday, which is packed full of activities. It began with the high school pep rally where the NHS Cheerleaders danced and cheered for the crowd and followed with games planned by ASB. The Coronation Ceremony followed, where each high school class voted for two people to represent them as royalty in the parade and at the dance. The entire school anxiously awaits to see who will be crowned King and Queen. This year the honor went to Rowan Breaux and Parker Wagstaff. The attendants were Avery Harris and Tyce Diaz, Amaya Denham and Emmanuel Evans, Morgan Jackson and Dyron Miller, Makenna Castillo, and J. D. Lusk. After the ceremony, the parade began. Led by the band and cheerleaders, the parade wrapped through town and exhibited the annual dedicatees, the class floats, the athletes, and various clubs associated with the school. Spectators lined Broadway to view the show.
That afternoon the volleyball and football teams went up against their rivals the Lincoln County Lynx. Volleyball battled the Lynx but were unfortunately not victorious. The Mustangs football team was able to conquer the cats though to win their Homecoming game and show the returning alumni that Needles has still got it.
On Saturday, the final event of the week was held on the football field in tents filled with lights. The students attended the Homecoming dance, themed Enchanted Evening, with either their dates or their friends and spent the night enjoying the music out under the stars.
Luckily, the following week was Fall break and everyone that worked so hard to make this year’s Homecoming an epic event were able to take some time to relax. It was well deserved.
