By Lotus Yasuda
September marks the beginning of one of Hawaiʻi’s most anticipated and cherished high school traditions. Homecoming! Behind the scenes, student leaders across the islands work tirelessly to prepare their schools for a week full of cheering, competition and community. Once the adrenaline of homecoming kicks in, it transforms the entire school’s atmosphere.
Walking through each school, you can feel the change from students studying quietly in their classrooms to being decked out in their school colors and yelling their class cheers at the top of their lungs. Students develop a stronger sense of belonging in their school, forming bonds with their classmates through discussions about upcoming activities and competitions. Homecoming plants a fiery seed of school spirit within their hearts, and it grows as the days lead up to the big event.
Every school has its unique way of celebrating the homecoming season. It may be through fun dress-up days, a dance, lip sync battle, parade, fair, cheer competition, bonfire, or even a powderpuff assembly, where girls compete in flag football with the football players cheering for them.
At Waipahu High School, we celebrate our homecoming as a week filled with competitive activities hosted by Student Government to build momentum toward our famous annual cheer competition, Arthur Awards. Our class councils spend their entire summers secretly planning their class cheers. From there, they teach the cheer to their entire grade level during advisory periods while working to boost the spirit of and strengthen the connections with their peers. Finally, they lead their classes through the various competitions of Homecoming Week. This year, our senior Mystic Knights, junior Immortal Lions, sophomore Moonlight Soldiers, and freshmen Valiant Vipers will face off in Marauder Wonderland through friendly competitions of tug-of-war, singing our alma mater, cheering our school’s colors and, finally, showcasing class pride during Arthur Awards all in hopes of being deemed the winners of the week during the homecoming football game.
However, the week not only fuels the flame of school spirit within our students but also strengthens the pride of our Waipahu community. We enhance our ties with the community by inviting alumni to judge the various competitions. We proudly march through the streets of Waipahu following the Arthur Awards, displaying our clubs, organizations, and Homecoming Court to build more excitement leading up to the night. Then, during our homecoming game, the football stands are packed, with community support sitting, standing, and spilling into the opposing team’s audience. The presentation and performance of our Homecoming Court is the halftime show, followed by the highly anticipated results of Homecoming Week! Which class do you think will win this year? Come to Waipahu High School on Friday, Oct. 18, and find out!
Homecoming does not revolve solely around the competitions, dress-up days, games, or assemblies. Wherever you go, you will see that homecoming finds a way to bring our melting pot of cultures, religions, and ethnicities together. It ignites the flame of school and community pride, creating excitement for the upcoming activities of the school year. Homecoming in Hawai‘i embodies the meaning of ‘ohana, where every individual is included, and no one is left behind.
Lotus Yasuda is a junior at Waipahu High School and serves as the 2024-25 Hawaiʻi State Student Council (HSSC) Chairperson. She is a dual-enrolled Olympian working toward earning her liberal arts degree from Leeward Community College through Waipahu High School's Early College program. She is a part of the Student Government and Phi Theta Kappa Collegiate Honor Society. Her goal is to help others realize the best versions of themselves while creating equitable opportunities for students throughout the state to succeed.
