MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Homecoming week was celebrated by the students of Matthew C. Perry High School here last week.
Homecoming was a week of events that kept the students in school spirits.
The events included a P90X assembly, Powderpuff football games, early releases, float decorating, hallway decorating, Ring-of-Fire Pit Festival, pep rally, parade, basketball games, and spirit days.
Each grade had a theme for the week and decorated school hallways and floats accordingly.
They each also had a specific category to dress up for spirit days: Monday was class colors, Tuesday was decades, Wednesday was generation, Thursday was crazy hair and school colors, and Friday was their respective themes for the week.
Monday, the students headed to the gym in their class colors for the P90X assembly where Tony Horton talked to the students about health and staying fit.
On Tuesday, the students dressed up in their designated decade and headed out to the M.C. Perry soccer field here to attend the Powderpuff football tournament.
The girls of M.C. Perry High School had a team for each grade. While all the girls played hard, there could only be one team who would be called the Powderpuff champions. This year, that team happened to be the senior girls.
Next, on Wednesday, the students were released early after they showed their school spirit by dressing up to represent different generations.
While some students went home after being released, others stayed to decorate their designated hallways and parade floats.
Thursday, several students attended the Ring-of-Fire Pit Festival.
There were six fire pits where Marines, sailors, parents, teachers and students gathered and enjoyed the warmth of the flames.
Friday, by far, had the most events. The students dressed up in their theme for the week, attended a pep rally, participated in a parade and attended basketball games.
During the pep rally, the students showed their school pride through competitions between each grade. Competitions included a hula hoop contest and a basketball shootout.
“I think the students were having a lot of fun,” said Rebekah Kirsch, M.C. Perry High School student council sponsor. “They were showing their spirit throughout the week.”
Shortly after the pep rally, the students headed to the front of the school where their floats had been brought out and lined up for the parade.
After the parade finished its course around the block, the students headed home to wait for the start of the Homecoming basketball games.
Later, the boys and girls basketball teams played the Homecoming games at the IronWorks Gym sports courts here.
“The week has been going great,” said Kirsch. “Tonight are the games and we will announce the Homecoming court at halftime of the boys game.
Finally, to top off the week, the Homecoming dance was supposed to be held at the Iwakuni Club ballroom Saturday evening.
Although the weather proved to be a challenge and the dance postponed, some of the students still had a good time with the Genesis Lodge #89 at the Hasu Tower here.
The Genesis Lodge #89 supplied food and a place to hang out for the visiting basketball players and the M.C. Perry students.
“It is fun,” said Carmela Lucey, an Ernest J. King High School student who attended the get together. “We need to get together and find out about the other people.”
After the Homecoming dance was postponed, the visitors had no food due to the weather conditions that day. When the members of Genesis Lodge #89 heard of this, they sent out the invite for the young men and women to join them.
Because of the postponement of the dance, the Homecoming dance is scheduled to be held today.