As years go by, one event at Seattle Prep and at high schools around the country always takes place. Homecoming!

Homecoming traditionally occurs at the beginning of the school year to welcome students back and as a way for the student body to come together. Some Seattle Prep faculty members shared their memories from their dances when they were students.

Mr. Ellinger, who attended school in Mercer Island, remembered his homecoming dance senior year: “I vividly remember the song ‘Don’t Stand So Close to Me’ by ‘The Police’ playing. It was a great time!”

Even before the actual homecoming dance happens, an entire homecoming week takes place. Ms. Aleinikoff ’13 remembered her favorite homecoming week theme: “’Lettuce Turnip the Beet’ where the different days went along with different vegetables/food types.”

There is also the homecoming assembly to look forward to at the very end of homecoming week. Ellinger shared that homecoming assemblies were not as “interesting and spirited” back when he was a student as they are now.

Mr. Arthur ’87 agreed with this statement as he shares of Prep assemblies some years ago: “our assemblies back then were noisy and sweaty affairs.” He adds that during their assemblies “senior football players would throw objects at underclassmen dressed up as the homecoming opponent” and that the assembly was overall “weak in comparison” to today’s homecoming assembly.

Aleinikoff ’13 shares that her favorite part of the homecoming assembly was when “the fall sports teams did sweet dances.”

As a great start to homecoming weekend, the infamous homecoming football game occurs on Friday night. Ms. Murphy who attended West Bend West High School said: “None of my friends went to dances because it wasn’t cool to go to dances, but we all went to the football games as a big group and it was tons of fun.”

Ellinger said that the biggest difference between homecoming now and then is “how involved the parents are in the entire homecoming process.”

His parents were not as invested in his homecoming as many parents are now, In fact, Ellinger got his homecoming suit from the drama director’s costume closet and got a ride to the dance from his friend.

Arthur also was not driven to the dance by his parents and, in fact, took a Taxi there.

Ms. Aleinikoff ’13 really summed up the essence of homecoming as she said: “Homecoming really is a blast and one of the best times of the year!