The Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Homecoming

Homecoming weekend is like Christmas in Frostburg. With a plethora of activities planned from Thursday through Sunday, homecoming offers something for all students. This year’s homecoming theme was “Around the World.”

Homecoming kicked off for students on October 15th with the Student Government Association (SGA) hosting the annual pep rally. Students were welcomed by the marching band while the cheerleaders warmed up for their first routine. SGA kept the crowd on their feet before the rally started by throwing free t-shirts into the crowd while large beach balls with school colors floated around the room.

Once the pep rally began, the first order of business was giving a warm welcome to the football team who faced off against The College of New Jersey for their homecoming game. The excitement from the football team brought out enthusiasm and school spirit from the crowd. The seniors of the football team were then asked to come up on stage for a dance-off.

Following the dance-off, the cheerleaders took to the floor and the marching band followed after. SGA hosted a slew of competitions to win tickets to the sold-out homecoming dance and “swag bags.” The wing eating contest was the first of many and landed the winner a swag bag. More entertainment followed, but the moment the crowd was waiting for was finally happening, the announcement of homecoming queen and king. The previous homecoming queen and king, Ly-Anh McCoy and Keith, joined this year’s contestants on stage. Between eight contestants, they raised over $3,000 for their charities. Katelyn Currier, SGA President and a member of Alpha Sigma Tau, raised more than $1,000 by herself, making her the contestant who raised the most by far. Anticipation built as Tom Bowling announced the Frostburg State’s new homecoming queen and king. Kaniece Hurley and Brandon Holmes, both members of Alpha Phi Omega, were crowned the 2015-2016 homecoming queen and king.

After the excitement of finding out the queen and king, the energy stayed high with a performance by the Caribbean Student Association (CSA). The members of CSA represented their respective heritage, which added to the homecoming theme. The Strutters Dance Team followed up with a passionate and energetic performance to a remix of “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child. Since dancing kept the crowd most thrilled, SGA hosted another competition for a ticket to the homecoming dance. All five contestants killed it, but ultimately one student wanted to attend homecoming a little more than the others.

The final performance of the night was another by the Caribbean Student Association. It didn’t seem like the performers could bring any more energy after a wonderful first performance, but they did. CSA’s performance ended the pep rally on a good foot, leaving the crowd wanting more. As the pep rally wrapped up, students were invited onto the floor for a dance-off, though most students wanted to begin their homecoming weekend elsewhere instead. Most students were looking forward to Saturday night, when the Black Student Alliance hosted Frostburg’s 2015 homecoming. BSA provided music and entertainment at the much anticipated event with special guests Tate Kobang, DJ One Way, and Lightshow. Besides the homecoming dance, the weekend offered other activities including a career expo, alumni art show, “The Mousetrap” murder mystery play, and more.