Columbus celebrates homecoming with pep rallies, traditions and dance

By Diego Rodriguez Deshon

A picture of the DJ booth at the homecoming dance in Jungle Island. (Photo credit: Diego Rodriguez Deshon)

At Christopher Columbus, Homecoming Week is a tradition that blends school spirit, brotherhood, and celebration. Every fall, the Student Activities Committee (SAC) leads a series of exciting events, creating a week filled with memorable moments. This year’s Homecoming dance, “A Festival of Lanterns”, embraces Chinese culture and brings vibrant colors and a beautiful atmosphere to the celebration.

Spirit Week

The kickoff to Homecoming at Christopher Columbus always starts with Spirit Week. A week full of exciting events that includes games and pep rallies involving students and staff.. This year's Spirit Week started strong with the fall sports pep rally that energized students ahead of the upcoming games.. Throughout the week, students had the opportunity to express themselves through different themes. For example, on ‘When I Grow Up Day’, you could see the variety of different careers that students want to be in the near future.

The white team during their matchup against the other student team. (Photo Credit:

"Spirit Week showed me the true culture of Columbus," said freshman Liam Sesin

The game that everyone talks about, though, is the Senior vs. Faculty Dodgeball Game, which occurs every year in the gym. This is a tradition many students anticipate before graduation.. You are able to see teachers and students pelting balls at each other.

"The dodgeball game was a great way to connect with friends and compete against the faculty," said senior Hunter Torres.

Thursday Night Lights

The biggest highlight of the week was Thursday’s annual homecoming football game. The Explorers had a shootout game against South Dade, winning 42-34 and acquiring their first win of the season. That's not the only special event that happened that night, though. Senior Jeremiah Cooper and Junior Christian Martinez were chosen to be this year's Homecoming King and Prince. The anticipation for the results of the king and prince had added excitement to the week, marking a traditional event that ties back students from the past to the future.

"The Homecoming game was an amazing experience. Both the game and the fireworks were electric," said sophomore Gabriel Barroso

The winners of the homecoming court. (Picture credit: Axel Aubi)

SAC Leading the Way

The Student Activities Committee (SAC) organized the week’s events, from the pep rally to the homecoming dance. They helped set up all of the events that we all love and experience today. From the beginning of the Fall pep rally to the end of the Homecoming dance, we should appreciate how much time they put in for us.

"Our goal was to bring everyone together and have an unforgettable Homecoming week," said junior Frank Tanda

The Dance

The week closed off with the dance we had all been anticipating. The dance was held at Jungle Island, creating a beautiful scenery showing off Chinese Culture by instilling a traditional-looking atmosphere with vibrant colors lighting up the room. Everyone arrived that night looking sharp, just as Linfors would have wanted us to. The food was "mouth-watering" with options like churrasco, turkey, salad, bread and all types of dressings— and don't get me started about the desserts.

"Homecoming was a really cool experience but also, the food was amazing," said senior Lucas Batalla.

Students described the night as memorable: music blasting, dates dancing, and students screaming the lyrics of every song— the week had been such a success. Everyone was bonding and having the time of their lives. It was the exclamation point to a week filled with events.

"I had a great time at Hoco the food was great, the music was great, the vibes were here, tonight was the night," said junior Jayden Borges

The homecoming dance floor. (Photo Credit: SAC)