Homecoming is just around the corner. In less than a week, girls will be putting the finishing touches on their hairdos and boys will be fixing their tuxes as they prepare for a “night under the moonlit sea.” While many students are counting down the days, others don’t know what homecoming is all about.

A tradition celebrated primarily in the U.S, homecoming is an event to welcome back people who used to go to the school, whether they are faculty or returning students. Most people tend to associate it with football or other sports is because there is usually an event that homecoming is centered around, such a dance or a football game, or in the case of Tomball High School, both.

With homecoming comes an abundance of traditions, even if they are not all practiced. Some of them you may have heard of; others not so much. For example, spirit week is a custom that is done the week of homecoming. Different days have different themes that the students are encouraged to follow.

Tomball’s main dress-up week is Red Ribbon Week, usually the week following homecoming. This year, Homecoming will also be a dress-up week. Monday’s is “Crazy About Homecoming 2010”, allowing students to wear their hair crazy, their favorite ties, and even hats. Tuesday’s theme is “Get Ready to Rock at Homecoming,” where the idea is for students to dress like rock stars. “Prepare for Paradise” is Wednesday’s theme, allowing for Hawaiin attire. Thursday’s theme is “Calculating for a Top Score Homecoming”. Dress like a nerd to celebrate this. Finally, “Homecoming Is Here!” finishes off the week with wearing cougar red to show your school spirit.

Another tradition is the one surrounding mums. Mums can either take the form of garters worn on the arm or corsages pinned to the shoulder, depending on gender. Mums are usually very intricate and detailed, adorned with charms, streamers, ribbons, and more. The decorations are meant to reflect the wearer’s class, extracurriculars, and interests, as well as honor the homecoming event itself with decorations that are in the school’s colors or mascot.

If you’ve ever heard of a homecoming queen or king, you know at least a little about the homecoming court. Depending on the school, this could mean a homecoming king and queen who are both seniors, or it could mean a homecoming duke and duchess who are underclassmen in addition to the king and queen. THS has a homecoming court that consists of all four.

Pep rallies are also associated with homecoming. Homecoming pep rallies are usually part of several activities that all relate to homecoming, such as parades or bonfires. On Wednesday, there will be a parade down Main Street to celebrate our homecoming, ending with a pep rally at the train depot.

The homecoming game will be Friday against Klein Collins (the only other undefeated team in the district) and the dance will be the following night. Tickets are on sale all week during lunch and will also be available at the door.