After a one and a half year hiatus, homecoming comes back home to Dominion this week introducing the freshman and sophomore classes to their first ever homecoming, The week leading up to the dance is jam-packed with events, starting off with hallway decorating, mini pep rallies every day, powderpuff on Friday and ending with a dance under the stars from 8-11 on Saturday night. 

Homecoming week is the time to get your spirit on, with five spirit days which are, Monday- Pajama Day, Tuesday- Tie Dye, Wednesday- Sports Day, Thursday- Hallway Day (movie characters), Friday -Black and Silver Day: sophomores and seniors in black and freshman and juniors in silver. Hallway decoration started on Wednesday, September 29 after school, and will be judged on Wednesday, October 6.

Another change from previous years is that the SCA has decided to take a different approach towards the homecoming nominations this year. Anyone was allowed to self-nominate. From there, everyone voted last week for their respective grades. Freshman, sophomores, and juniors will have the top two people in each class as part of the court, with seniors having the top four in court. This was so “we can celebrate as many of our Titans as possible without popularity becoming the primary focus,” SCA Sponsor David Kroeze said. 

Powderpuff is coming back in full swing, with the junior and senior girls battling it out on the gridiron in the form of flag football. The junior girls are being coached by junior boys, and the senior girls are being led by senior boys. With a half-time performance by the “cheerleaders” expected, the game is expected to happen on Friday October 8 at 2:30 followed by a brief pep rally. This is the first time ever that both will be held back-to-back on Friday.

Following the pep rally there will be a tailgate in which the whole school is invited to. Purchasing your homecoming ticket for twenty dollards also includes a free meal voucher for the tailgates food trucks. Immediately after the tailgate is the football game, in which the Dominion Titans are taking on the Loudoun County Captains at a 7pm kick off. 

Unlike previous years, this year’s homecoming dance will be taking place on the football field with a theme of “Shoot for the Stars. So it makes it a Hollywood theme and also a night under the stars,” SCA President Simren John said. With the dance being outside, there will be no mask requirements and no social distancing requirements. 

Don’t be worried about any other changes for the homecoming dance, as Dr. Brewer stated that the “majority of things will be the same.” Snacks, refreshments, a DJ, decorations, among other things will all be just like past years. 

Kroeze says that the SCA is just hoping to “really create a unique, beautiful moment for our students.”

Covid has not affected the SCA’s ability to plan homecoming, rather the influx of new students who haven’t had prior planning experience, according to SCA Secretary Ailie MacMillan. The SCA is split into multiple groups working separately on different parts of homecoming. For updates on SCA activities, go to @dominionSCA on Instagram.

Brewer added, “If the COVID crisis taught me one thing it was Sunday, over the course of your three or four years that you have left in high school, my friends, circumstances might take away rites of passage, that should be yours. COVID-19 took away a ton of those for students in the class of 2020 2021, even 22 and 23, and I don’t want to lose any more time.”