Each September, Fremd students and staff look forward to Homecoming Week — a celebration of school spirit filled with themed dress-up days, a pep rally, a football game, and the annual dance.
Throughout the week, students demonstrated their school spirit by dressing up for the spirit week themes and participating in various activities.
To kick off the week, many students entered school wearing their PJs for Pajama Day. Later in the day, the monarch nominees were revealed. They were nominated by their coaches and sponsors based on one of three criteria: Mighty, Brave, and Bold. And with the help of the Student Council, the front hallway came alive with posters showcasing clubs and activities from throughout the school.
On Tuesday, students arrived at school wearing tropical clothes for Tropical Day. Additionally, Student Council members distributed leis as students entered the school. A tropical wear contest was held during third-period classes, with the winners announced on Thursday. The winning classes, selected from each participating department, were the third-period classes of Russell Anderson, Michael Comerford, Ashley Lernor, Matthew Moore, Courtney Billitier, Kenneth Harris, Jennifer Mertins, and Cassandra Seaver.
Wednesday marked College Day, as students filled the halls in shirts and sweatshirts representing their favorite universities.
On Thursday, it was Adam Sandler Day, with students channeling the actor’s trademark look through oversized shirts and loose-fitting jerseys.
The dress-up theme wrapped up Friday with Green and Gold Out Day, when students proudly sported Fremd’s colors to cap off the week.
At the end of the week, students gathered in the gym for the homecoming pep rally. There, the homecoming monarchs, who were voted the day before, were crowned with a Viking hat, a golden sash, and a yellow rose.
Student Council sponsor Karisa Andrianopoulos said the Monarch announcements were a fitting tribute to the nominees and winners.
“Next year, we would like to do more to honor our nominees and Monarchs throughout our Spirit week,” Andrianopoulos said.
A game of musical chairs opened the pep rally, with two students from each class competing as the Viking Marching Band played. Sophomore Ksheera Karthick and senior Aiden Carl were the final contestants, and Carl came away with the win.
The event continued with a joint performance from Orchesis, band, cheer, dance, and faculty members. A relay race followed, with each class completing tasks such as putting pillowcases on pillows and making a basket with a pompom. The junior class won in a close finish.
The rally concluded with Principal Mark Langer, wearing his striped jumpsuit, striking a bass drum as students joined in the skol chant, followed by the school fight song.
Later that evening, the undefeated varsity Fremd football team played the annual homecoming game against the Evanston Wildcats. Before the game started, a parade around the track featured various clubs and activities from Fremd and the winning Monarchs. The student body was full of energy as they were decked out in red, white, and blue for the USA theme. During halftime, the Fremd marching band, color guard, and dance team kept the school spirit high as students joined in, rooting for the home team. The game ended with a win for the Vikings, 34-7.
Homecoming week concluded with the Homecoming Dance. This year, the theme was “La La Land: City of Stars.” As opposed to last year’s location in the back parking lot, the dance was moved to the stadium turf. The move was approved by the student body, with about 98 percent of students preferring to have the dance in the stadium.
Junior Emily Fei expresses her opinion on the location change to the stadium.
“It [the turf] is a lot open with more space and a better environment,” Fei said.
At the Homecoming Dance, DJ Adeous set the mood with classic 2000s pop songs mixed with recently trending songs that students danced to, using lightsticks provided by Fremd’s student council. In addition, there were 360° rotating photo booths and mini golf for students to enjoy.
Sophomore Isha Murthy reflects upon the new addition of the photo booths.
“I thought that the 360° cameras were really cool and I had a lot of fun with my friends,” Murthy said.
If students needed a place to rest, they could head to the water table to quench their thirst or the glowing cube seats to take a break. Ending the night, students could take a picture in front of the 2025 FHS Hoco neon sign.
Fremd’s Student Council conducted a survey on students’ experiences at Homecoming and found that an overwhelming majority of students enjoyed the evening. Following this success, StuCo is already planning for next year’s Homecoming, with ideas to implement requests such as additional seating, improved concessions, and more photo stations equipped with lights and games.
“Our goal for the Homecoming Dance is to have the entire school body attend and to give each student a memorable experience that they can talk about for years to come,” said Andrianopoulos.
