Homecoming—the word alone cools the hot summer air. Our minds conjure up images of late October, warm fall days, nip-in-the-air nights and our mountainside covered with leaves of every color.

Reality reveals that options for assigning Homecoming Week at any high school are dictated by a multitude of priorities.

“First of all,” SGA co-sponsor Keri Ross said. “You have to choose a home game and the last home game for PHS is always senior night so that night can’t be homecoming.”

Allowing for senior night and away games locked PHS into a September Homecoming.

“The best week for our homecoming is a week when we can have activities, and we can’t do that during graduation exam week,” Ross said.

Because the week of September 20th is the week of the graduation exam, Pelham High School’s Homecoming week this year will be Sept. 13-17 —and the homecoming game pits PHS against the Vestavia Rebels.

Homecoming provides both the student body and the football team lots of opportunity to get excited about the game. Homecoming will provide even more inspiration and excitement as the team faces Vestavia.

Fortunately, the SGA leadership of the class of 2011 has hit the ground running following spring elections. Newly elected SGA President Senior Abby McMillan said, “SGA has had a busy start so far. Our goals for this upcoming year were to have the homecoming theme picked out and to have all powder puff shirt designs in by the end of the year. Most years we have time to plan homecoming after the new school year starts, but with an early homecoming, planning is more complicated. This year’s homecoming theme is Start a Rebel Ruckus.”

Homecoming brims with tradition at PHS. In many ways, homecoming is an event that the SGA hosts, not only for the PHS student body, but also for the entire Pelham and Helena community.

Pelham High School homecomings are rich with tradition, and this year, we also may have a few surprises to look forward to.

“SGA has a lot of new faces, and some great ideas. We are going to work hard on making this the best homecoming yet. We have some great ideas and fun activities planned to help the school and get students involved for the 2010-2011 school year,” SGA Vice-President Senior Faith Mote said.

Connie Nolen can be reached by e–mail at CNolen@Shelbyed.k12.al.us.