Homecoming is a Hauppauge (along with the majority of other towns in the US) yearly tradition where all students in the district come together and support our Varsity Football team. With food, musical performances, merchandise, and of course the non-stop action football game, it is one of the highlights of the school year. Making history with the first high school pep rally in over a decade, by Friday afternoon students were ready and awaiting the big game on Saturday. Though this year’s homecoming wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, literally, it still was an important event within the school community.
This year’s homecoming was unfortunately overtaken by very poor weather. Though the rain wasn’t too harsh, the cold took a damper on the amount of people in the crowd. Of course, the game still went on and the majority of the events went as planned, along with a few errors. The scoreboard for the game had a few technical difficulties and towards the end of the game had completely stopped working. While the actual score of the game was a little confusing to be sure of, it ended up being 15-31, with Eastport South Manor taking the win. Hauppauge’s loss brought a melancholy feeling to the school, especially considering the fact that this was some of the players’ last homecoming, but the team still had some fun during the week. Having the first pep rally in over 10 years, all the high school students were either watching or taking part in the fun Friday afternoon. All seniors on varsity sports teams were honored on the football field and all teams got to participate in games. Students in the bleachers were given sunglasses and leis, and some even got t-shirts thrown into the crowd by our principal Mr. Wieckhorst. The Homecoming Court winners were also announced, king and queen being seniors Nick Sumwalt and Jenny Dove.
Though not the main focus of the event, the musical performances were another entertaining component of the game for those who have less of an interest in sports. While the football game is rightfully the highlight of the night, the Varsity Cheerleaders, Varsity Kickline, Chamber Choir, Color Guard, and band gave an exciting performance during halftime. The band’s arrangements of “Defying Gravity” from Wicked accompanied by the dancers brightened the mood and broadcasted the variety of talents in the school. Though not the first time seeing it, (since all performed at the pep rally and Kicks for Cancer) Kickline’s challenging dance moves and Cheers surprising gymnastic tricks impressed all and surpassed the crowd with excitement. Color Guard’s artistic arrangement was another factor that added to the entertainment of the event. To end the night, the display of colorful fireworks filled the crowd with joy after the rough end of the game. Though common, the fireworks still brought a happy ending to the night.
The beginning of the school year is filled with events dedicated to raising money. Whether for school functions or for charity, they make this money by selling food, snacks, and school merchandise. From hot dogs to fried Oreos, homecoming had endless varieties of food to buy. Italian restaurant La Scala provided the school with pasta and other arrangements of Italian food, along with Hot Dog Hustler, providing who would’ve thought, hot dogs! Mr. Frosty’s ice cream truck and the fried desserts truck (zeppoles, funnel cakes, fried Oreos, etc) gave everyone the availability of a sweeter snack. The school concession stand provided snacks like chips, candy, soda, and more. The Football Boosters sold football merchandise like sweatshirts and t-shirts. Regular school merch was also sold throughout the event, along with other miscellaneous stands.
Though Homecoming of 2023 was not the best one yet, from spirit week to the pep rally, to the actual game, the school was filled with spirit and had a great time supporting our Varsity Football and Cheerleading teams.
