Creating new traditions

Tuscarora celebrates first homecoming

Thursday, Nov. 16, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Tom Fedor⁄The Gazette Tuscarora High School senior Nancy Arias hollers to spectators as she marches in the school’s homecoming parade along Ballenger Creek Pike on Friday evening.

On a long, continuous piece of white paper, students traced silhouettes of their bodies to create a wall-sized word, ‘‘SENIORS!”

Drawn behind it, to represent Tuscarora High’s ‘‘New York, New York” Homecoming theme, was a rainbow-colored backdrop of famous New York City buildings, including the Empire State Building.

The students were participating in a hall decorating contest to determine which grade had the most school spirit only days before Tuscarora’s first-ever homecoming on Friday.

Working on the paper spread down the length and width the hallway, senior Evan Sheldon had an idea — why not transform the outline of Student Government Association President Leeza Constantoulakis’s body into the Statue of Liberty?

With 90 minutes left to complete the contest before judging, Evan quickly consulted with Leeza before he drew a crown and torch on the green-painted body.

‘‘Go for it, Evan. It’s really open to anything you want,” Leeza said.

For the first time in Tuscarora High School’s three-year history, students actively planned and created a real Homecoming last week, including school spirit days, a parade, pep rally and football game, fireworks and a dance.

After Tuscarora High graduated its first senior class in June, the challenge of creating a Homecoming and its traditions fell mostly to the class of 2007, who were eager to take the responsibility.

‘‘It’s fun, really. We basically are responsible for starting the whole tradition for the school,” Evan said. ‘‘It was a big bonding experience for the class.”

In fall 2003, these seniors were freshmen as Tuscarora High opened its doors. That year, only freshmen and sophomore classes attended the school.

Senior Dana Szymanski, a Student Government Association member, said it’s about time Tuscarora High had some school spirit. Since it’s so new, the school has been slow to grant senior privileges, such as a seniors-only parking lot, and other traditions, she said.

As she drizzled paint within the outline of a New York skyscraper, Dana took pride in her contributions to Homecoming – the New York City inspired advertisements for Homecoming weekend and the design of the seniors’ hallway decorations.

‘‘It’s cool because I can have a say in how it starts,” Dana said.

According to Leeza, the Student Government Association considered many students’ ideas for creating a Homecoming and wanted to keep the event fun, entertaining and affordable. Each grade level has student government representatives who proposed different ideas, which the Student Government Association voted on and staff approved.

Assistant Principal Rodney McBride didn’t have to do much prodding since students were constantly coming up to him with ideas, he said.

McBride noted that the senior class was dedicated in making Homecoming a reality and rose to the occasion.

Before the evening football game last Friday, parents and children lined up along Ballenger Creek Pike to watch students and staff cruise by in decked out trucks during a parade.

The parade that snaked from Ballenger Creek Park to the student parking lot at Tuscarora High was the graduation project of senior Michelle Rugel.

Her goal in creating the parade, Michelle said, was to create school spirit and a new Homecoming tradition. Each class decorated a donated pick-up truck from Frederick Nissan with school colors and the ubiquitous New York City theme. The Tuscarora High marching band led the parade as the trucks pulled away from the park and other school clubs joined.

Tuscarora’s National Honor Society, French Club, cheerleaders and volleyball players all cheered loudly and tossed candy to children along the parade route. Several members of Titan Players, Tuscarora’s theatre club, walked along in costume.

Seated on the grass along Ballenger Creek Pike, parent Rosina Biser came to watch the parade with her two children, Michael, 5, and Julia, 3.

As the cheerleaders passed and tossed candy, Biser said she hoped the parade would be an established tradition by the time her kids enter Tuscarora High.

Speaking after the parade, Michelle said she expects future classes to continue the Homecoming parade.

‘‘I thought we were much more enthusiastic about our Homecoming,” Michelle said. ‘‘I felt like more people were into it and more enthusiastic for our team to win because of the parade.”

Despite their enthusiasm and pride, Tuscarora High lost its first Homecoming game to Century High School in Sykesville, 29-22.