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Homecoming: Going for the Glory

Glory is destined to come easily to the creative students working on the four floats that will be paraded at Friday night’s Homecoming festivities at Fallbrook High School. With the theme “Going for the Glory,” ASB Director Josh Way says float design and building this year has been taken to a new level.

“I really hope people come out to see these floats because they are going to be amazing,” Way said. “I can promise you they are going to be something to see — big time.”

The parade of floats will take place for the first time in the evening at approximately 7 p.m. (between the junior varsity and varsity football games). The parade will be led by the person selected as Grand Marshal for the festivities, who will arrive atop a fire truck. The identity of the Grand Marshal is a closely guarded secret until the day of the event. The floats will be presented again at halftime, when the announcement will be made as to various float awards as well as the one that is deemed the overall winner.

Homecoming means royalty and this year’s selections are well prepared for the big evening ahead. This year’s Homecoming Court, voted on by the student body, include princesses Branche Foston, Jackie Kohls, Adriana Ponce and Andrea Tsavahidis. Homecoming princes are Aaron Holt, Danny Munoz, Alderez Siaton and Jaime Vizzuet. Princesses will arrive atop the Homecoming floats, escorted by their fathers, during halftime of the varsity football game (versus Rancho Buena Vista). Princes will have their mothers at their sides when they are introduced. The Fallbrook Vintage Car Club has offered vintage cars for transportation of the princes. While the Homecoming Queen will be crowned Friday night, the King’s coronation will take place on Saturday night at the Homecoming dance in the school gymnasium.

Way said they will continue a tradition they began last year and during halftime will name the ‘Most Inspirational Teacher’ for the 2006-2007 school year.

Each of the classes is constructing their float at the home of one of the students in the class. The homes are offered by gracious parents who don’t mind having their property be the source of student activity for a five-week period of time.

“We really give a lot of credit to the host residences,” Way said. “They have students at their houses every night. Some schools I know of just rent out industrial complexes.” In addition to the support of the host families, students enlist the help of other parents and volunteers to help with the many phases of building the float.

The floats are generally constructed to be 20 feet long and 15 feet high and must meet strict standards.

“They build a wood frame that is placed onto a small pickup truck,” Way said. “Then, chicken wire panels are attached to the frame. The panels are covered with a variety of colored tissue paper flowers to form designs.” The making of the panels is an activity that encourages social interaction between the students.

“Because students have to work on each side of the chicken wire panel, they get to know each other during float building,” Way said. “They also create the most amazing structures for the top of the float.” Way says this year structures will include a castle, rollercoaster, giant storybook and the moon. The structures on top of the floats are typically made out of papier-mché or wood and then painted or coated in a textured finish. Every year some floats also include motion in their presentation.

“Everything on the float has to be person-generated,” Way said. “We do not allow any power from a generator or anything like that. If there is confetti being shot out of the top, there is a person inside propelling it out. If bubbles are coming out, someone is in there blowing bubbles. That’s part of the tradition.”

Each class is given $1,000 from the Associated Student Body to fund their float account. Some classes accrue money through fundraisers for the project.

Class officers are responsible for organizing the float efforts — getting volunteers and constructing, for example.

“It’s a big task for four students in each class,” Way said. “Their biggest challenge is to get enough help. This year they have had a great turnout. The kids have done a great job getting the word out. They have been recruiting metal and wood shop students, who bring a lot of expertise to the project.” One of the biggest needs each class has is reams and reams of tissue paper, but that tissue paper has to be cut into perfect five-inch squares.

“Fallbrook Printing is incredible; they have cut these reams of tissue paper for all the classes into five-inch squares for years,” Way said. “That’s a lot of tissue paper! We are really lucky to have their help.”

One thing Way was determined to do this year was create a better network of support between classes.

“I sat down and talked with a lot of parents and kids who were involved last year,” he explained. “We have tried to create more support for everyone. I am pleased to say that this year we have a lot of camaraderie between class officers. The different class officers are working really well together. They share ideas about resources and everything. We also have all the ASB officers, who are seniors, mentoring class officers. This way, no one feels like they are alone and that has made it less of a cutthroat competition.”

Football, royalty, friendly competition, devoted students, a ‘surprise’ Grand Marshal, honoring an outstanding teacher, upbeat music and fabulously creative floats provide a bevy of reasons not to miss this year’s glorious Homecoming festivities in Fallbrook.

“Homecoming is a time-treasured tradition,” Way said. “The students have their heart and soul in this.”

Homecoming Schedule

Friday, October 13

5:30-6 a.m. – Floats will be brought to the football field. The 25 students out of each class with the greatest number of hours worked on their class float will be allowed out of class to finish last-minute items on the floats.

9:45 a.m. - Homecoming pep rally in Fallbrook High’s new gymnasium. Alumni welcome; please check in at office.

5 p.m. - Junior varsity football game versus Rancho Buena Vista begins.

5 p.m. – Float judging begins

7 p.m. – Grand Marshal opens Homecoming activities.

7:30 p.m. - Varsity football game vs. Rancho Buena Vista begins.

8:15 p.m. (approx.) – Halftime of game – Most Inspirational Teacher announced. Homecoming royalty introduced. Crowning of Homecoming Queen.

Saturday, October 14

8 p.m. – Homecoming dance begins – Fallbrook High gymnasium. Homecoming King will be crowned mid-way through dance.

 

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