Homecoming 2019: The new and the old

December 27th was another successful Homecoming day, with the bleachers filled with excitement and joy from our Sharks, both new and old.

This year’s Homecoming came to be another successful event planned by the Sports Department, bringing together our current varsity basketball team and alumnus group for two sets. Posters advertising the game were posted at almost every common area we had, encouraging the student body to pump up the night with its unique shark spirit. The event was scheduled to begin at 4:00, enough time for people to grab food from our beloved Family Mart or Grad n’ Go. Teams warmed up and practiced layups while music played on the speakers, hyping everyone up on and off the court. Strings of alumni flooded the Shark Tank, fascinated by the many renovations they had missed out on.

Varsity and Alumni girls started off the game, and it wasn’t looking so pretty. The Alumni team were of short of players but held the upper hand in strategic maneuvers. Sophie Chao (‘19), a well respected member of the basketball team, used her previous triumphs from last year’s season as captain to support her team. Into the second half of the game, the Varsity team’s coach surprised the crowd and jumped into the Alumni’s team, tipping the scales of the game. Without shame, Brian Bates continuously used the microphone to help advertise Senior Prom Committee’s popcorn booth. Shot after shot, the Alumni team rose from what was thought a sure loss to being back at the top. As the game came to an end, the Varsity team commemorated the seniors of their team with flowers and verbal exchanges of appreciation for mentoring them throughout the season.

Once the court was empty of players, the HS Dance Club came up to preform, dancing in a simple aesthetic of white tops and light-blue jeans. The crowd went wild as the dance went from calm to fierce at the beat drop. The dance team didn’t hold back and showed off their talent, and they didn’t disappoint.

To bring the night to a close, Varsity and Alumni boys played their game. The game started off interestingly due to the fact that Oscar Su (11B)’s brother was also on court. The alumni had two very big advantages during the whole game: age and build. The alumni team had players coming as early as 2005, that along with the team’s extreme muscle power against our school’s team. The alumnus had years of experience to defeat our current team in a heartbeat. Varsity boys gave the alumnus a hard time, passing the ball back and forth, making risky shots, and performing well during rebound balls. Sadly, to our dismay, the Alumni team took home another victory.

Homecoming was no disappointment, and surely didn’t bore anyone. The night ended with many catching up with each other, seeing where they are, what they are studying, and even relationship statuses. But with a happy beginning came this story’s sad ending. Everyone said their last goodbye’s and gave their last hugs, leaving everything to be picked up later in Homecoming 2020!

Featured Image – Seniors and Alumni pose for a group picture Courtesy of Samuela Ma’u (9B)

by Samuela Ma’u