Every year, Lakewood High School kicks off Homecoming Week by decorating the first through third-floor hallways and filling them with class pride. To bring this tradition to life, Student Council members and volunteers meet early on the Sunday of Homecoming Week, working hard for hours to set up their designated hallways. They spend time blowing up balloons, putting together decorations, organizing, and covering windows to showcase the class colors and create vibrant hallways that get students excited for Homecoming Week and the dance.
This year, students from each class decorated their hallways with help from Jessica Murphy, the Student Council advisor. Although all the hallways looked great, the senior hallway is always the star of the show. With a purple theme, it featured walls covered in purple stars, 2026 balloons for the seniors’ graduation year, and a table with a blown-up purple gummy bear and light-up letters spelling out “Seniors.”
The hallway decorating marked the beginning of Lakewood High School’s Homecoming Week. Spirit week began on September 22 and it went through Friday, September 26. The week started with Pajama Day on Monday, followed by Jersey V. Jersey Shore on Tuesday, and Country V. Country Club on Wednesday. On Thursday, students had the opportunity to dress as their teachers. Finally, on Friday, they wore their class colors: freshmen wore black, sophomores wore gold, juniors wore white, and seniors wore purple. “My favorite part of Homecoming Week is dressing up for the spirit days and seeing everyone else dress up because everyone’s so creative,” said Carissa LaForte, the junior class publicist.
By Friday, September 26, of Homecoming Week, the excitement for the football game and the Homecoming Dance had already built up. The pep rally was organized by the Student Council members, with Paisley Norris and Delaney Starr, the Student Body President and Vice-President, running the majority of it. The pep rally began during eighth period, with students showing their spirit by participating in fun games, taking whole-class pictures, and spending time with friends. This year, students participated in many games, including a hula hoop race, musical chairs, a screaming contest, tug of war, and wig snatch-off. At the end of the pep rally, the Homecoming Royalty for 2025 was announced, with Audrey McNulty and Owen Hill being the winners.
After school on Friday, Student Council members, Homecoming court, sports teams, and other organizations marched in the parade from Edgewater Road to Lakewood High School’s south parking lot. Many community members gathered along the streets of Lakewood to show their Lakewood spirit. “The parade is where a lot of younger community members can be a part of it. They know someone in the parade, and they get to experience the homecoming festivities firsthand during the event,” said Murphy.
One by one, the student section started filling up to watch the Homecoming Court walk across the field and to cheer on the football team in their game against North Olmsted. Although the game resulted in a loss, school spirit remained strong.
Homecoming Week requires extensive planning from start to finish. “It takes our accounts manager, it takes the Student Council, it takes friends of people, the staff at Dunkin’ Donuts,” said Murphy. The morning of the Homecoming Dance, Student Council members and volunteers gathered in the school cafeteria to take down the hallway decorations and prepare for the dance. The theme was “Starstruck in the City,” and the decorations perfectly matched it. The decorations consisted of cardboard buildings, star cutouts, and a string of fairy lights spanning across the entire gym. There was also a New York City and Paris-themed corner.
All of the hard work pays off on Homecoming night, when everyone gets together at the dance. “I think it creates opportunities to have good experiences at school,” said Autumn Sabin, a teacher who attended the dance. From laughter to dancing, the night created a host of new memories. A highlight from the evening was the formation of the conga line, which brought students together to dance as a group.
Homecoming Week is an important tradition at Lakewood High School, whether it’s decorating hallways for Spirit Week, watching football, or attending the dance.
