I sniffled in my sneeze as the powder tickled my nose. The air was moist, like fresh rain had just fallen, and a chilly breeze ran through my hair. I watched the game and as the Raiders were defeating Blair, all I could feel at that moment was pride for my school and my community. Next to me, all my friends were being sprayed by baby powder and we laughed until the night came to an end.
For most schools, Homecoming is just a game and a reason for the community to come together. At Hun, it’s so much more than that. It’s an event to constantly meet new people and make new friends, to show off talents, whether they be performed in a sport or during the halftime show, or even to just live in the moment as baby powder and flour are thrown around to celebrate a white out and laughter fills the air. That deep sense of community is typically hard to come by no matter what age a person is, yet somehow, it is never lacking on Hun’s campus of teenagers.
For me, homecoming means what the words say, coming home. My home means Hun and homecoming means representing my school and all for which it stands. Homecoming means that Hun is us and we are Hun. Homecoming means pride.
So as I recall standing there that night on the athletic bleachers, the thing I most remember is my chest flushing with pride and excitement. I recall the baby powder and the chilly breeze, and the cheering for the action of the game and the halftime show, but most of all, I recall a sense of belonging. I remember knowing I was home.