By Aubrey Barry
When asked, most students would probably say that their favorite week out of the school year is Homecoming week. There are so many aspects that contribute to these seven days. From the parents’ skit at the barbecue kickoff to the games during the Friday pep rally, there are so many fun traditions that Louisville has had in place for many years. One thing that most people forget about, though, is the hallways. Decorating the hallways adds spirit to the school days, creates an atmosphere for the theme, and even contributes to the competitive vibe of homecoming week.
Each grade is assigned its own hallway. Students from each grade then come together and figure out what supplies they need. Students then either go out and buy their own supplies or have their grade advisor help them. On the Sunday of the kickoff, students come in early and start setting up. Sophomore Agnes Dukat states, “A good chunk of students showed up, and we were very thankful for them.” Participants have 4 hours to get their hallway decorated. Once that time is up, they have to step away and hope none of it gets torn down.
The homecoming theme for this year was Rhythms of Rio. For hallways, this meant paper flowers hung from the ceiling, balloons shaped to form tree-like structures, bird cutouts placed on lockers, and so much more.
Junior Lilly Bax said, “I made name tags for everyone in our grade.”
Also, decorating the hallways involved more students in homecoming week. Not every student is involved in a fall sport, so for some kids, it is hard to get into the spirit of such a week. Dukat states, “It’s fun to connect with your peers and other students.”
It is no surprise that competition is a main component of homecoming week. Whether it’s football, volleyball, softball, or cross country, athletes' competitive feelings reached a peak during the week of September 7th. Decorating the hallways adds to this as well. At the end of the week, the high school class with the best decorated hallway (voted on by staff members) is revealed. This year, it was a win for the Junior Class of 2027.
Overall, hallway decorating is a fun tradition that helps this long, exhausting week go by a little faster for the students. By working together, high school students in Louisville can get more involved and compete for bragging rights.