Spirit Week activities fueled a crescendo of excitement throughout campus last week, culminating in a Homecoming to be remembered! Friday morning, the Rowdies greeted families in the carpool line and collected the final donations for the Shower Power Coat Drive dressed as superheroes. In three days, the JA community donated 106 coats to support Shower Power’s efforts to help homeless men and women stay warm this winter.
A pep rally at the Brickyard introduced the homecoming court, and featured performances by the Accents, varsity cheerleaders, and the band. The varsity football captains, Max Walenta, Trey Adams, and JT Thigpen, invited the audience to attend that evening’s game against Parklane Academy. At 5:30 p.m., JA families living along Sheffield Drive hosted house parties for alumni and current JA families. A superhero parade featuring golf carts loaned by JA families and decorated by students started at 6:30 and led everyone from Raider Park to the Brickyard for the big game. Pariss Smoot was crowned Homecoming Queen at halftime and the Raiders earned a 54-33 win over Parklane that evening before students in grades 10 through 12 attended the homecoming dance at the Old Capitol Inn.
Pariss was escorted by her father, Fred Smoot, and fellow senior Graham Stevens. She was crowned by halftime sponsor Cameron Albriton ‘04 of Albriton’s Jewelery and Meredith Fielder, 2020 homecoming queen, accompanied by the first-grade attendants. Each year, first graders who are the children of staff members serve as homecoming court attendants.
Special thanks to this year’s homecoming sponsors, Fresh Cut Catering and Floral for supplying flowers for the court, Kinkade’s Fine Clothing for presenting ties to all the family members who escorted maids to the field, and Albriton’s for providing the crown and pearl studs for this year’s queen.
