Beginnings:

Sydney Wong:

Prior to coming to high school, almost all the information freshman Sydney Wong knew about Homecoming was from older relatives and media depicting high school life. This year will be Wong’s first time experiencing Homecoming, and after everything she’s heard about the event, she says she is more than ready for it. 

“Before coming to Monta Vista, I was vaguely aware of what it was,” Wong said. “I knew that it was something about a big dance, and a big celebration where some people would be crowned as royalty somewhere at a football game. I’m just really amped to see everyone really spirited, really happy and really motivated.” 

Wong says that before high school, she’d always listen to her brother’s stories about Homecoming with interest. Through laughing with her friends during freshman skit dance practice, her enthusiasm for the event has continued to grow. Wong decided to join the girls and co-ed dance routines and is particularly looking forward to the Homecoming dance, especially because her involvement in Leadership during middle school prevented her from enjoying a dance without having to plan and manage it as well.

Wong has immersed herself in Homecoming preparation, from joining the freshman skit to asking for votes after being nominated for Homecoming court. Since this is her first year in high school, Wong wants to try everything while she still has time as a freshman.

“From the perspective as a freshman so far, Homecoming seems like a really cool, really exciting and new thing that I’d really like to participate in in later years,” Wong said. “I really can’t wait to recommend it to younger people when they come.”

Noah Guan: 

Going into his first year at MVHS, freshman Noah Guan had no idea what Homecoming was or what it meant at MVHS. Guan tried many things to gain an understanding of Homecoming — asking his upperclassmen friends, looking at the MVHS website and watching past Homecoming videos. However, he learned the most when he dove headfirst into the process of helping assist Homecoming preparations for the Class of 2028.

“I was kind of pulled in by other freshmen,” Guan said. “The class officers got some information about it and pulled me in since I’m one of the guys on the dance team, they needed me to choreograph the boys’ dance. That’s when I started wanting to know more, because I wanted to know what it was I was diving headfirst into.”

In general, Guan says he’s impressed with the progress of the grade, as Homecoming is a new experience for all of them, but he is especially excited to see how the boys dance turns out. Despite setbacks he has noticed, such as limited practice time during lunches or struggles with coordinating routines, Guan looks forward to seeing what the Class of 2028 has in store for this year and beyond. 

“Speaking from my own experience in choreography, I know that everyone’s been working really hard for it,” Guan said. “Just seeing all the effort and all of the hard work that the different grades put in is going to be really amazing. I think that over the years, we will improve. Sometimes I don’t see too much promise, but the fact that we actually have a boys dance is really good. The frustrating part was planning and getting people to join, but they’re doing really well and learning really fast, which is impressive for new dancers.” 

Ends:

Maya Pullara:

It was 2021, and the Class of 2025 freshman Homecoming theme was “The Game of Life.” Senior Maya Pullara wrote her year’s Homecoming skit, and in her eyes, she believes that her first attempt at comedy was a success. While Pullara has written all of the Class of 2025 Homecoming skits, to this day, she still considers her freshman-year skit to be her favorite work. 

“I will always be kind of nostalgic for freshman year one,” Pullara said. “It was the first one I ever did, and it was all pretty new and fun.”

Pullara has written Homecoming scripts for the themes “The Game of Life,” “Jurassic Park,” “Subway Surfers,” and now, “Phineas and Ferb.” She looks forward to seeing her script come to life this year, partially because of her belief that seniors get the best theme.

“I’m so excited for my skit,” Pullara said. “I remember last year after the Homecoming, I was like, ‘OK, next year, I’m getting my grind on, and I’m gonna make a really funny script.’”

Although she still believes that the freshman script was extremely entertaining, she admits that it wasn’t exactly cohesive. She hopes that this year, being her last year at MVHS, she can write the most cohesive and hilarious script yet. 

Being as experienced as she is in scriptwriting, Pullara says she knows how to develop interesting scenarios that are just the right amount of relatable. Over the years, she has also learned how to balance humor and sensitivity, allowing her to stay true to her writing without letting administrative feedback shape her creativity.

“The only thing about scriptwriting is every single time you have to worry about the admin just crossing out lines because they’re not school-appropriate enough,” Pullara said. “But as Economics teacher Mr. Pelkey might say, ‘You gotta fight the good fight.’ So I don’t think I let that change what I write.”

Peter Chen: 

Senior Peter Chen recalls the Homecoming season of his sophomore year, where the theme for their class was “Jurassic Park.” Chen had been a part of the boys dance that year, and watching the dances come together along with the rest of the skit was an experience that made that year truly memorable for him. 

Chen has been involved in Homecoming for the past four years, serving as a class officer since his freshman year. His responsibilities included creating skit decs — 20-by-30-foot painted cloth backdrops — as well as putting together the skit and dance for each year. However, as the President of the ASB Executive Commission this year, Chen is taking on a different role.

“Now that I’m on ASB, I feel like I’m kind of more hands-off on Homecoming,” Chen said, “It’s a really weird feeling to me. I still try to help out my class with the backdrops, but in the end, it’s mostly them. Especially going into senior year, it’s more fun, and it’s less stressful. Honestly, it’s because a lot of that planning pressure is off my shoulders and I’m just more like an advisor.”

Chen feels that his sophomore year was the best year his class had for Homecoming, specifically citing the high participation that allowed them to have many dancers. Furthermore, he felt that “Jurassic Park” was the best theme that they have had yet. While Chen was disappointed that their class had to cut a boys dance his junior year due to lack of participation, he is hopeful about this year’s performance turnout, especially since it is their last.

“When you’re planning the skit decs, it’s pretty painful, especially to get participation,” Chen said. “I’m not starting to feel it yet, but I think when we actually run it and you see the skit in the moment, it’ll be like, ‘Yeah, wow. That’s our last Homecoming.’ But for now, the class offices are grinding it out. It’s hard work, but once you see that reward, you will really realize how far we’ve come.”