Homecoming Week Preview
Students race through the bouncy house on Thursday during club row. They were greeted with refreshments after competing. (September Bottoms/The Corsair)
Homecoming Week will be happening this week from Oct. 30 to Nov. 4 in Santa Monica College, with a variety of events for students to enjoy on campus before the Homecoming football game on Nov. 4 between the Santa Monica College Corsairs and the College of the Canyons
This event has been put together with the work of the Associated Students, Corsair Athletics, Santa Monica College Foundation and the SMC Future Alumni.
A.S. Director of Activities Saori Gurung, who planned many of the spirit week events leading up to the game, explained what Homecoming Week means for students.
“Homecoming and the spirit week is to generally just get hyped up for the homecoming game itself." Gurung said. "It’s to prepare the students and everyone to raise awareness about what homecoming is about and I guess to have a little fun before the game and mostly to show support to our school and also to our athletes,”
On Oct. 30, there will be a Monday Night Football game from 5:30-7:30 pm in the Cayton Center. Free pizza from Fresh Brothers will be available to students. The game will have the Denver Broncos play against the Kansas City Chiefs. Also in the area will be a poster-making contest where students can come and decorate posters to show off during the homecoming game. The winner of the most spirited poster at the end of the day will be able to watch the real game in the sky box.
During the activity hour on Tuesday, Oct. 31 from 11:15 am-12:35 pm at the quad, there will be a carnival with games and prizes for students that participate. This day will also be host to an inter-club cornhole tournament. Clubs that have signed-up will compete against each other to compete in the first round.
SMC organizations build everything needed to play the game, from the bags that were made from the fashion department to the building of the boards. Alastair Robinson, an SMC student who works with the SMC Alumni Association, designed the decals of the cornholes which show the different ways people can go on with their lives after SMC. Robinson designed another similarly-designed decal that is shown on the entrance of the Welcome Center.
“Whenever you watch a game going, [there’s] screaming and we want to build that sort of cheering for homecoming. We want to get people in a mode to cheer along for something to get into that fighting spirit,” Robinson said on how to get clubs involved through this activity.
On Wednesday, Nov. 1, a fashion night in the Cayton Center emphasizing sustainable fashion will happen from 6-7 pm and will showcase student designs and a fashion documentary, as well as free refreshments and giveaways.
Finishing off the week before the football game will be a way for people to meet the football players on Thursday, Nov. 2, from 11:15 am-12:35 pm The Corsairs will walk through the quad and the Cheer Club will be there with the team.
Finally, the day of the homecoming game will have many things to do to get people active. It’s free admission for anybody and the food will be complementary. From 11 am-1 pm, a family-friendly tailgate will be happening with free food for everybody who comes. Clubs will be able to have a table and we will rewarded with monetary prizes depending on their participation, such as $300 for the club that has the most people come to the game representing their club.
The game itself will start at 1 pm, and the Cheer Club will be showing school spirit throughout the game, including the half-time show. The club has been working on getting their mascot costume ready for the game. Sandra Franco, who works in Admissions and Records, is the adviser for the Cheer Club.
“It’s very exciting. I think this is probably one of our larger events that we work on. All the girls are very excited, but it isn’t without a lot of hard work. We are practicing twice a week in our club meetings and twice a week at night as well. It does take a lot of time,” Franco said.
Aside from the Cheer Club, during the half-time show, there will be tickets handed out beforehand and five people will be called to perform a goal kickoff. Anybody that can manage to do so will get a $1000 book voucher.
The A.S. expects around 2000 people to attend the homecoming game.