The hallways were decorated with red, black, and white streamers, and in the gym, the pep band played the Cannon Falls school song. The students and staff clapped along and cheered while chanting the words. On Friday, September 15, Cannon Falls schools engaged in multiple Homecoming activities. The time of year is a huge part of Cannon Falls, from dress up days to the dance. 

Homecoming Friday commenced with routine classes first period, followed by the Powerpuff volleyball game. High school students all attended the match, while middle school students were not required to. The event began with junior and senior boys playing each other, while the varsity volleyball team coached and officiated. The game this year was filled with laughs, with both teams getting riled up when a difficult call was made. In the end, seniors were victorious, beating the eleventh graders closely. Afterward, the juniors took their seats on the bleachers while the twelfth graders prepared for their next game, against the faculty. The seniors were again triumphant, defeating the teachers. Mr. Meyers stated, “I don’t have a lot of experience with volleyball, so I learned some interesting things about the game from Melissa Huseth and Ellery Bonde.” While the game is very competitive, both teams were just there to have fun.

Following the volleyball games, the pep fest took place during third and fourth periods in the high school gym. Seated on the bleachers, the students watched the cheer squad and high school band start off the pep rally with a performance. The homecoming court was then introduced, with Homecoming King and Queen Dylan Banks and Meagan Pedersen bringing up the rear. Like last year, various games were played, with different competitors from each grade chosen to participate. One of those was Hungry Hippos, where students, or “hippos” rode around stomach down on scooters, attempting to gather more foam balls than the other teams before the time ran out. The last event of the pep fest was the beloved scavenger hunt, where contestants had to retrieve random items from around the gym and school. In the end, the remaining two players had to find the school mascot, the moose, who was hiding somewhere in the building. “My favorite part of Homecoming is always the pep fest.  Each year, I love watching people during the scavenger hunt,” Mrs. Davisson shared. The entire pep rally was lots of fun for the whole student body and staff.

Until 1:00, all grades had an activity day, similar to last year’s homecoming. Different teachers led separate activities, and students were allowed to pick which one they wanted to stay in. Options included movies, board games and video games, and even cleaning up the school forest, led by Ms. Thompson. Unfortunately, inclement weather ruined those plans, so Thompson hosted a group of people who wanted to play video games. However, there were several other activities that students could go to. Yard games were supposed to take place outside, but instead were held in the field house, due to the rain. Movies such as The Mighty Ducks, National Treasure, and Remember the Titans were shown by different teachers. Otherwise, students had the option to play various games in several classrooms. Mrs. Davisson and Mrs. Olson hosted “games, music, coloring, and just hanging out.”

Once the school day was over, the Cannon Falls volleyball team faced off against the WEM Buccaneers at 2:00. The fan section roared for every point the team scored, but in the end the Bombers were defeated, losing three sets and winning one. On the other hand, the football team went up against the Pine Island Panthers at 7:00, and beat them 49-0. Lots of people showed up to both events, showing school spirit.

To bring the day to a close, high school students were all invited to the homecoming dance from 8:30 to 11:30, after the football game. Homecoming plays a huge role in Cannon Falls schools, and gives everyone a break from the same ordinary routine. Students and staff alike all look forward to next fall’s events.