By Sadie Avery ‘26
CVHS homecoming week 2025 was one to remember, as students and staff came together to celebrate school spirit through a series of exciting events, including the annual pep rally, the Friday night football game, the traditional bonfire, and the highly anticipated homecoming dance.
The week kicked off on October 14th with the first of the spirit days, where students showed their school pride by dressing up according to the day’s theme. On Tuesday and Thursday, the focus was entirely on spirit day activities, setting a festive tone for the rest of the week.
On Wednesday night, the bonfire continued the fun energy. The bonfire featured a variety of stands run by school clubs and organizations, offering delicious food and fun activities. Attendees enjoyed food trucks, celebrated fall sports recognition, and were treated to a spectacular fireworks display at the end, making it a memorable and fun-filled night for everyone.
On Friday, 3 major events of the week occurred, beginning with the annual homecoming pep rally. Students gathered in the gym and showed their class pride through cheers and games. The rally featured performances by the cheerleaders, drum line and special entrances by the Homecoming court as they were introduced to the crowd.
A member of the court, Alyssa Landis (12), said, “I was very honored and blessed to have been chosen to be part of that wonderful group of girls. Freshman Alyssa would have never imagined being given the opportunity.”
Following the pep rally, on Friday night students and families filled the stands for the highly anticipated homecoming football game against Exeter High School. The match-up was intense, with Exeter taking an early lead and keeping the crowd on edge. However, the Buckskins fought back and, with determination, made an incredible comeback in the second half to secure the win.
Senior Colson Erb, starting kicker for the football team, explained how special it was to win in the homecoming game against such a challenging contender: “It was a really difficult game, and it felt like all of our hard work all season really led up to that moment. And honestly, just the game overall, our coach had been talking about it a lot and how it was going to be a war, and it really was, and we came out on top.”
Cheers erupted from the stands as the team celebrated their hard-earned victory, and the night became even more memorable when the Homecoming Queen, Hannah Gensel (12), was crowned during halftime.
Gensel stated, “If me winning homecoming queen means anything at all, I want it to be that kindness is important. For starters, I genuinely never would have believed that I would have been on the court in the first place, let alone become queen… I truly hope that when people see me, they feel inspired to go out and be compassionate. I don’t even need people to remember my name; all I want is for people to remember that kindness is what keeps us all going.”
The week concluded on Saturday, October 18, with the homecoming dance held in the Rill gymnasium. The theme “shipwrecked” transformed the venue with bright colors and an aquatic ambiance. The dance ended the week on a high note.
Homecoming 2025 reminded everyone what makes CVHS special – a strong sense of community, pride, and tradition.