Last year's seniors from Stone Bridge High School can come back next week, making for the school's first official homecoming.
"Homecoming traditionally in other schools means that students come back for the game or the dance or both. They come home," said Peggy Fowler, biology teacher and Student Council Association (SCA) co-sponsor with Bob Pannozzo, history teacher.
The Ashburn school opened in 2000 without a senior class, so a dedication and dance replaced the traditional homecoming events. The next year when seniors attended, the school hosted a homecoming event with a court and a king and queen crowning. This year, the event will return under the auspices of Hollywood Homecoming.
"It's exciting because it's the first group coming back," said James Person, school principal. "It's a chance to come back to see and be seen and say hello to people you haven't seen in awhile. It's a reflective time and it's an exciting time. It makes them appreciate what they had."
Each of the classes picked a movie to fit the event's theme and will decorate a float and one of the school's four stairwells accordingly, along with hosting a spirit day the week before homecoming. The seniors selected "Tombstone" for the West. The juniors decided on "The Little Mermaid" for the beach, but picked jerseys for spirit day since the Powder Puff game will take place on the same day on Sept. 25. The sophomores picked "Austin Powers" for the '60s, and the freshmen, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" for the '70s.
The spirit days will be Sept. 23-26 with Friday, Sept. 27 reserved for the final spirit day when students will wear their class colors for the pep rally. That evening, the homecoming parade will take place at 5 p.m., starting at Portsmouth Boulevard and heading up to Claiborne Parkway and to Hay Road. The homecoming game will follow at 7:30 p.m. when the Bulldogs play Massaponax High School.
On Saturday, the Hollywood theme will remain for the homecoming dance, which will take place in the school gymnasium. The decorations will include red carpets, movie cameras, lit-up stars, movie posters and class decorations from the floats and stairwells.
"It's time for making traditions, especially at a new school," Fowler said.
THE HOMECOMING events for three other eastern Loudoun high schools will take place in October. Park View High School's homecoming events will be held the week after Stone Bridge's events. The parade will start at 5:45 p.m. on Oct. 4 at Sterling Middle School. The football game will be played the same day at 7:30 p.m. when the Patriots meet King George High School from Fredericksburg. The dance is scheduled at 8 p.m. on Oct. 5 for "A Night on the Town." The spirit week is usually held mid-winter and will not take place during homecoming again this year.
Homecoming activities for Broad Run and Potomac Falls high schools will take place the weekend of Oct. 18-19.
Broad Run's homecoming activities will all be held on Oct. 19, except for the spirit week the week before. The parade will start at 11 a.m. that day at Food Lion off Ashburn Village Boulevard, with a barbecue luncheon following the event. The football game will start at 1:30 p.m. when the Panthers take on Loudoun County High School. That night, the homecoming dance will be held from 9 p.m. to midnight in the gymnasium. The homecoming theme is "Once Upon a Time."
The times and dates for Potomac Falls' homecoming were not available by press time.