Homecoming. It’s a time in a high school senior’s life that is either pure enjoyment or utter embarrassment. Some students start campaigning in sophomore year to get onto court and other students get onto court completely unexpectedly. From the football game to the homecoming court to the dance, there are many aspects of homecoming that capture the student body’s attention. Whether one enjoys homecoming or not, it’s an experience in everyone’s high school lives that cannot be missed. In this Throwback Thursday, we take a look at how North Penn celebrated their homecoming on October 14, 1989. Floats, a parade, and a whole day dedicated to North Penn’s Homecoming blows our recent traditions out of the water. In 1989, students and clubs would set time aside to work on the floats and all the decorations. Homecoming Day started with the parade down Main Street in Lansdale, and it ended in the stadium where the focus then switched to the annual football game. The North Penn Knights crushed the Truman Tigers 17-7.

As many years have passed, Homecoming has evolved and changed. Instead of playing on a Saturday, North Penn holds Homecoming in Crawford Stadium on a Friday night. The stadium lights shine bright on North Penn’s football players and Homecoming Court members.  In recent years, North Penn has not had a parade dedicated to Homecoming, but we do have a lovely dinner for the court members and their families.

North Penn senior and Homecoming court member Lauren Marrone commented on what Homecoming 2014 would have been like with a parade and floats.

“I would be pretty overwhelmed by all of that happening just for us! What we did this year with the assemblies and obviously at the game were such a crazy experience and seemed like more than enough fun activity to me – so I can’t even imagine a whole parade and more.”

Although the Homecoming parade and floats have disappeared from North Penn’s traditions, there are many customs that have stuck around.  We still continue the assembly introducing all the court members, and we still have the King and Queen announced during Halftime, but now, in addition, we also have a Homecoming Pre-Game Party, and implemented this year, a Homecoming Dance.

Twenty five years from now as students look back at the 2014-2015 Yearbook, they will find many traditions that have faded out as well, but it’s important to cherish those memories and not let them fade from our memory.