By Yael Ben-Sira
Photos courtesy of Yael Ben-Sira
On September 26th, Golden High School hosted its 76th homecoming! For more than a century, Homecoming has welcomed new students and brought the community together to start a new year while celebrating lasting traditions. Football games, dancing, spirit weeks, kings, and queens, schools never look more alive than at homecoming.
In 1909, Baylor University held what many consider the first official homecoming events: a bonfire, a parade, and a football game. While it did not immediately become an annual tradition everywhere, that one night started the history of homecoming. Soon after, other colleges across the country began hosting similar events. The University of Illinois
held its first homecoming in 1910, with the University of Missouri following the tradition soon after, in 1911. By the 1920s and 1930s, high schools across the nation fully adopted the tradition, expanding it into a full week of celebrations and bringing school spirit to the halls. Emerging in the 1950s, “Friendship Weeks”, now called “Spirit Weeks”, were created to help students build community, and themed dress-up days quickly caught the attention of schools. Hallway decorating, creative outfits, and fun games helped bring everyone together and build excitement for the events taking place at the end of the week.
As the decades went on, other famous traditions took shape, completing the homecoming experience. Beginning in the 1930s, selecting homecoming royalty originally started as judging the queen based on her appearance and selecting the official homecoming queen on parade floats, according to Baylor University. Over time, this tradition slowly turned into the nomination of students for a queen and king to represent their class. What began as a simple parade quickly turned into a major highlight of homecoming week, giving students a fun way to recognize and celebrate their peers.
All of these traditions come together right here in our own community. Established in 1873, Golden High School is one of Colorado’s oldest continuing high schools, with a long history of bringing our community together. The annual parade marches right down Washington Avenue in downtown Golden, with families lining the sidewalks, supporting student clubs, class floats, and Golden High School’s cheerleaders and marching band. Later in the evening, the Demon football game takes place at the Marv Kay Stadium on the Colorado School of Mines campus, with the homecoming dance the
very next day, where the homecoming queen and king from each grade are announced!
Beyond the dress-up days and athletic events, homecoming serves a larger purpose: creating a sense of belonging. It is a chance for students to come together and celebrate the school. Whether you are cheering on the sidelines or coming to the dance, you are part of a memorable tradition.
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