Autumn kicks off homecoming season

The WASL is not the only measure of high school success.

The standardized test may be a ticket to graduation, but a better gauge of victory might be assuming the throne as homecoming queen or a king, nabbing a date for the homecoming dance or winning a school spirit competition.

At University High School in Spokane Valley, that competition – held each year in the fall as part of homecoming festivities – is known as “the bench.”

For 30 years, U-Hi students have participated in the tradition that commences a week of homecoming activities. Each class – freshmen, sophomore, junior, seniors – won’t be found studying chemistry. Instead, they work in secret, decorating a church pew.

At the homecoming pep rally, each class unveils its bench, and the best, most elaborate bench wins. Seniors usually claim the title, as was the case this year. It’s grown over the generations, and now includes not only a decorated pew but performances by members of the class.

“It really sets the tone for our school year,” said Don Ressa, a 37-year teaching veteran at U-Hi. “It’s really a part of the fabric of homecoming at U-Hi … you could say it’s the benchmark.”

Homecoming week ranks at the top of all of the high school rights-of-passage, students said.

“It defines us,” said U-Hi senior Taylor Vold. “It’s how we express ourselves.”

The University of Missouri claims to have held the first homecoming celebration in the United States in 1911, as a way to bring alumni back to campus, with a week of celebrations featuring a football game and a dance.

The tradition can be found at most high schools across the country, where each fall a week is devoted to school spirit and making students feel that the school truly is their “home.”

After an adrenaline-packed pep rally and bench unveiling, thousands of U-Hi students packed the school’s stadium Friday night, where the football team beat Spokane’s North Central High School, 30-18.

“It’s the event that brings everybody together,” said U-Hi student Jessica Chess, 17.

North Central will have a chance to redeem its pride in two weeks, when its homecoming festivities begin. Many alumni are expected to attend the game as the school prepares to celebrate its 100-year anniversary.

At John R. Rogers High School, homecoming revolves around the school’s Walk of Fame, a ritual since 1993.

Each fall, distinguished alumni are honored. This year inductees include Carl Dry, a Pearl Harbor survivor who worked on the Gemini, Apollo and Skylab space programs; Ted Gurr, a national authority on political conflict and instability; Les Hilby, a 20-year U.S. Army veteran; Tim Tyvan, who has received many major military awards and decorations including the Bronze Star for service in Iraq; and Bruce Ellingsen, an ophthalmologist who introduced nonpenetrating glaucoma surgery into the United States. About 80 or 90 alumni also attended a luncheon Thursday at Rogers.

“It’s a great way for them to come back and see the spirit,” and at the same time motivate Rogers students to achieve great things, said Eric Anderson, the school’s activities coordinator.

Of course, classes also have a hall-decorating competition and decorate floats for judging during the homecoming pep rally, all leading up to the big game.

Rogers lost, 46-6, but it was a win for Lewis and Clark High School, where homecoming was also in full swing last week.

“I think we are all drawn back to positive experiences in our lives, and the people,” said Richard Ellis, a 1967 Lewis and Clark graduate. “It’s fun to go back and remember. There is nothing like watching kids at that age.”