2021 OHS Homecoming Recap
Homecoming was a three-day event over Thanksgiving Break that included a series of activities, a dance, and the opportunity to get to know new OHSers in person and spend time with friends. It was eagerly anticipated, being one of the few in person events that occurred during the 2021-2022 school year thus far. Many students chose to attend, with many flying out from their homes to California. The event was from Thursday, November 18, 2021, to Sunday, November 21, 2021, and took place in Monterey, California. Many students began to arrive on Thursday after finishing up classes or even still attending their last class while traveling to the hotel. Students began to get to know each other, and others reunited with friends. As students began to meet with one another, a “RED (Taylor’s Version)” release party was hosted in a nearby room, allowing several students to bond over their love for the new Taylor Swift album while spending time together. As Thursday night came to a close, students eagerly anticipated the events to come.
On Friday, hundreds of students arrived, ready to participate in activities including Icebreakers and a Virtual/In-Person Spirit Week Assembly. The assembly featured a Kahoot! focused on OHS fun facts and a teacher vs. student trivia competition began as students frantically fought to win (unfortunately, the teachers won this one). After that, there was a scavenger hunt where students teamed up and set about exploring the area surrounding the Plaza Hotel with the goal of using the clues to find all the locations and take a picture with the staff members located there. Once the scavenger hunt ended, students had the opportunity to attend the incredible Monterey Bay Aquarium. For those who did not go to the aquarium, they were able to explore the local Fisherman’s Wharf and the other charming locations of the city. As students split up, the option to take a trip to the local tide pools became a popular choice! Dr. Vetter was responsible for organizing the excursion and two OHS students created a scavenger hunt that students could participate in for an opportunity to be included in a raffle for OHS swag, such as a pixel plush. Students ran to Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant and an art gallery in order to take a picture with a staff member. Several teams had trouble finding certain places, and exchanged locations with each other. Later in the evening, there was a welcome reception for all attendees, featuring a speech thanking everyone involved in planning Homecoming.
Saturday began with an OHS tradition: the flag football game! The football game featured OHS students and alumni alike battling it out on the fields of Monterey. Following this, students organized a beach cleanup trip. Many students took the opportunity to explore Cannery Row, and others participated in some of the OHSPA organized events, such as a trip to see a Monarch butterfly sanctuary, where the Monarch butterflies would mate and stay for the winter. However, throughout all of these events, preparations were underway for the Homecoming dance and students began to get ready. After taking group and individual pictures, the dance officially began at 7:00pm. The dance featured a buffet, a game room for those who did not wish to dance, and a live DJ! Many people danced, with the DJ’s table being pushed back against the wall by all the dancing. The food was a success with several refills needed, and only a small number of people moved to the game room instead of joining the dance floor. The music, suggested by OHS students, was instrumental in drawing people to the dance floor and setting the mood. Synchronously, there was a parent dinner, where parents and other family members could sit and chat and hear from an array of guest speakers, including Dr. Hoshi and alumni including Marc Soong, William Liu, and Paige Yeung. The dance ended at 10:00pm, and from all the pictures, proved to be a roaring success!
On Sunday, friends both old and new said goodbye to each other. Several other families stayed to explore Monterey and the surrounding areas. Overall, Homecoming was a roaring success, with many students anticipating the next event, Winter Formal, which was scheduled to occur in January, but was ultimately cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
