Students filled the bleachers and roared when their grade was called at the homecoming rally on Nov. 14. To showcase school spirit and build excitement for the game and the dance, the rally featured sports teams participating in a freeze dance competition and the football team performed a haka, or traditional Polynesian war dance.
Leadership student and junior Anahita Ghajarrahimi says, “I thought it was even better than last year. It was a lot more organized and the haka at the end of the rally was a big crowd pleaser.”
At the homecoming dance on Nov. 15. Aragon decked the Hiller Aviation Museum with green, silver and black décor, pixie sticks and treasure maps, transforming it into Peter Pan’s Neverland. This whimsical evening attracted the biggest turn out Aragon has ever had. 542 students bought tickets this year, while 450 students was the previous maximum.
This year’s homecoming dance featured more activities than in years past. “Peter Pan” played outside, and there were treasure maps on the tables that led to hidden treasure parrot bags all over the venue. Students that followed the treasure hunt received coupons to future dances as well as coupons for Aragon spirit wear.
Cyr says, “Because we’ve had it at the Hiller Aviation Museum for so long, we needed something to have people excited.”
Also new this year was the discontinuation of the tradition of the “Don vs. Knight” in which Aragon’s mascot performs a skit to show the physical defeat of the Hillsdale Knights.
Leadership adviser Melissa Perino says, “The feeling of the rally is that we should be pumping and celebrating our accomplishments, not putting down another team and showing poor sportsmanship. Just because something is a tradition doesn’t mean it’s a meaningful, purposeful or positive tradition to hold onto.”
Associate Student Body president Julise Hall says, “Personally, I miss it, but at the same time I understand why. There are people who feel it’s a tradition, but there are also people who think it’s not a good tradition and not working towards our new goal of inclusion.”
Senior Cindy Le concludes, “[The Don vs. Knight] was traditional, but with or without it, we are still doing [the rally] for Aragon, so we are always going to try our best.”
This year, David Traver and Bubba Tongamoa won the senior royal court and Ryan McAuliffe and Regina Lisinker won the junior royal court. However, their victory this year is different, as Aragon’s leadership is taking a new approach with the selection process.
Previously, students would nominate the candidates in the first round, and the students with the most votes would be placed on the final ballot. Students would vote for the final winners at homecoming. This year, students were asked to select students who they felt contributed most to the school. From those votes, the leadership team tallied up the votes and the top five candidates received an interview from a panel composed of an alumnus, a teacher, an administrator and a student. The students were asked about their involvement and participation within the Aragon community. The panel made the final decision.
Perino thinks the new process fosters inclusivity, saying, “The way we have selected in the past has been a way to exclude people rather than include. We want to make the process merit-based instead so we really recognize those students who are really contributing to our community. ”
Junior Jessica Westmont disagrees, saying, “Sure, the teachers know the students well, but the students know each other more. They know each other more than just the students they are in class.”
However, Hall likes this new change, saying, “The students get a say and the teachers get a say, so it’s more representative of people who are good samaritans to the Aragon community,” she says.
