Spirit week never disappoints in Rochester High School as students dress up as Barbie and Ken or as a cowboy to represent the Olde West and many more. This week always shows how important RHS is when it comes to tradition.
Every year Rochester High School hosts a wonderful homecoming dance located in the mall area of the school. The Student Government has taken careful time planning everything homecoming-related ever since the beginning of June. This year, the student government chose “A Knight to Remember” as the theme to put together the assembly, decorations, and homecoming all together.
Decorating the hallways is one of the things that kickstart the theme during Spirit Week. This year the hallways were very well decorated by each of the grades with lots of new and creative ideas that surfaced throughout the school. On Wednesday, October 27, each grade took up the assignment to create various decorations for their themes with lots of people showing up for hallway decorations. The freshmen had a dragon-related theme, sophomores were wizards featuring our amazing principal and assistant principals as wizards in the D hallway, juniors as knights, and seniors as royalty naming every single student on a crown at a wall near the counseling rooms.
Spirit is always present in the walls of RHS. Monday was an easy assignment for students to wear due to the theme being blackout. Lots and lots of students participated, showing up wearing all black to start off spirit week on a good note. Tuesday was Barbie vs. Ken day making costumes a lot more interesting. Many people showed up in pink and blue showing off Barbie and Ken’s colors with some showing up with blonde wigs and tutus. Some teachers even took their time to get ready for the day wearing some pink to show off their spirit and contribution to the day. Wednesday had the school decked out with lots of cowboy hats, plaid shirts, and boots to represent the “Ye Olde West”. Throwback to the earlier days of our lives: Throwback Thursday. Students showed up wearing their feeder school spirit whether it was their elementary class shirts or their middle school class shirts, we were able to see where each and every one of the students came from before getting to RHS. Color-coded class shirts ended the tradition of spirit week with a blast. Every student showed up wearing their class shirts to end off in a sense of unification with each other and the school.
The Homecoming dance was exceptional as always with an amazing DJ to fill up the atmosphere with fun and excitement. The well-decorated entrance made the theme of medieval times a reality as it showcased a drawbridge leading to the main function. A whopping 1400 students and guests arrived at the dance making this year even more of a night to remember. There was also a portion of the dance where students could take a breather and sit outside for some fresh air or some snacks which got crowded really quickly. As students danced the night away having the time of their lives, the dance quickly came to an end.
RHS has always been on top of its motto of character, tradition, and achievement. Student government has always gone above and beyond to give students the maximum experience they can get by creating new themes every year. RHS students continue to show their passion and spirit for any school they end up in after graduating endlessly remembering these themes as they move on.
One of Rochester’s most prominent football games each year is the homecoming game. The game many students plan to go to and are hyped up weeks before. This game completes “hoco week” being the last related thing before the dance on Saturday. Rochester played against Farmington Hills and won the game with a score of 33-7.
This year’s hoco-game spirit theme was blackout. Rochesters’ student section showing their spirit came fully prepared in all black to watch the game and bring the energy. The game starts off with the band marching in as usual. The band played their fantastic pre-game show with former drum majors leading in honor of the former band director Augie Thoma who directed the Falcon Marching Band from 1983-2007. The marching band also had their halftime performance after the game.
One of Rochester’s traditions is the Rochester Royals homecoming court, where through a series of rounds seniors are nominated to have a chance at being the year Rochester Royal. The winner is announced during halftime, as each contestant walks out and takes a picture while the speaker Mr. Miesch tells a small bio about them. This year’s nominees for the guys were JT Youngblood, Lincoln Laquaniello, Ben Julian, Ethan Kello, and Hayden Blake. For the girls: Allie Crawford, Madalyn Howes, Diana Gojcaj, Kelsey Smith, and Lily Moxley. Mr Miesch announced that the winners of the 2023 Rochester Royals are Allie Crawford and Ethan Kello. Congratulations to all 10 people nominated.
