This year’s Homecoming theme is “Cougars in Paradise” and is a Hawaiian theme. There are many activities scheduled throughout the week that promote school spirit, bring the student body together and benefit the community as well.

There are dress up days, lunch time class competitions and a food drive to assist the Marysville Community Food Bank.

The week starts off with the crowning of Homecoming royalty. Winners are: Senior King Derek Hoyden, Senior Queen Jynette Blanchard, Senior Prince Max McGee, Senior Princess Megan Fenton, Junior Prince Luke Davis, Junior Princess Hannah Bustad, Sophomore Prince Austin Lane, Sophomore Princess Emily Senyitko, Freshman Prince Logan Grasseth, and Freshman Princess Sydney Bustad.

Various class competitions take place all week, including the highest participation in the dress up days. This year’s themes include:  Monday-Formal (Coronation); Tuesday-Tie Dye; Wednesday-Hawaiian Day; Thursday-Class Color Wars (each class is assigned a different color); and Friday-Maroon & Gold Day.

Students will also decorate designated areas of the school hallways to display their class pride and spirit, and a winning class is named from this competition. In addition, classes participate in a float building contest centered on the Homecoming theme. These float masterpieces are the highlights of the Homecoming Parade that is held on Friday.

The traditional parade includes all of the schools within the district, with the route beginning at Cougar Creek Elementary. The parade includes all of the students of Lakewood High School (separated into their graduation classes), along with royalty in decorated vehicles, the parade’s grand marshal, the Marysville Fire Department, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Department, the football team and other LHS sports teams in parade vehicles loaned to us by Marysville Ford.

The parade will end at the LHS gym, where students will participate in the Homecoming Spirit Assembly.  We’ve had “special guests” at the assembly in the past, including the “Seahawk Mascot” and “Squatch” from the Seattle Sonics.

The grand marshal of the parade is chosen by the Lakewood Leadership Class for service to the community and Lakewood High School.  Although it’s often a school district employee, community members have been chosen for this honor in the past.  Most notably the “Discount Mattress Lady” served as grand marshal a few years back. This year’s grand marshal is LHS teacher and coach Ron Thorvilson, who has been at Lakewood High School since 1982.

During halftime of the football game (vs. Cedercrest), the Homecoming royalty is introduced and the floats are paraded around the field.  The class that has earned the most points throughout the week with the various competitions (hallway decorations, dress up days, lunch time spirit competitions, and the food drive) will be crowned as Homecoming champions.

Wrapping up Homecoming week will be the semi-formal Homecoming dance that will be held at the high school on Saturday night Oct. 3 from 8-11 p.m. Homecoming at Lakewood High School is a tradition that brings the school environment together, one that students take pride in and many remember for years to come.

Robin Barker is Lakewood School District executive administrative assistant.