The week of homecoming is a week rich with traditional activities that are all a part of TJC’s history, present and future. Students are encouraged to participate in order to keep these long-standing customs alive.
Student involvement is crucial when it comes to carrying on the Apache spirit, many traditional events occur during the week of homecoming that unquestionably depend on student participation.
Throughout the week of homecoming one can expect to smell the aroma of backyard foods, see campaign posters all around the campus, students cheering and the sound of a tempo drum beat so powerful that it can be felt in the pit of your chest.
“One of the longest traditions that we have is beating the drum, which we have been doing since 1948,” said Vincent Nguyen, Director of the Center for Student Life &’ Involvement. “It is said that if the drum ever stops beating we lose the homecoming game. One year, the drum stopped beating and all during the game it rained, hailed, and thunder stormed. Although, we didn’t lose, we ended up tying in a five to six hour game that would normally only last three hours.”
Organizers rely upon 40 organizations to sign up for the drum beating. Individual students can also sign up. Shifts for beating the drum are meant to be one-hour increments. The drum beating is to last from Monday, Sept. 13, until Friday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.; until the kick off at the homecoming game.
The official school-wide pep rally is held before the homecoming game. The student body, faculty, Apache Belles, cheerleaders, band members and football players all come together to celebrate the long-awaited homecoming game in Wagstaff Gymnasium. However, due to construction this year, the game will be held at Pat Harley field.
“The pep rally is so live and full of excitement, it makes you feel really crunk for the up and coming homecoming game,” said Taja Summers, a TJC student. “It’s cool to me that we can all be a part of cheering the football team onto victory. You can tell that it’s a tradition by the liveliness and energy.”
What is a big homecoming game without a homecoming king or queen? Every year the student body elects a king and queen.
“Every organization can nominate someone for king or queen, and each organization is supposed to help that person win,” said Zarrick Cannon, former president of student senate and founder of TJC’s Black Student Association. “A student has to be in an organization in order to run for homecoming king or queen.”
Nominees, and the organizations supporting them, spend time running campaigns and finding ways to show the student body why they should be elected homecoming king or queen. It is left in the hands of the student body to vote and elect the king or queen.
