Dexter High School Promotes Spirit Ahead of Friday's Homecoming Game

The halls of will echo with Dreadnaught spirit this week ahead of Friday's homecoming game against Tecumseh.

"We have a pretty nice lineup of activities finalized for the students this year," said Al Snider, Student Council adviser.

Beginning Tuesday, spirit week will kick off with themed attire each day. Tuesday is pajama day, Wednesday is '70s and '80s day, Thursday is crazy hat day, and Friday is maroon-and-gold day.

"We will keep track of how many students from each grade level participate, and at the end of the week, those points will be added up for bragging rights," Snider said.

On Friday, classes will get the chance to compete head-to-head in tug-of-war, human pyramid and other team games during a pep rally assembly at 9:50 a.m. in the DHS gymnasium.

At 1:30 p.m. Friday, the DHS homecoming court, along with representatives from each of the school's fall sports programs, will parade through Dexter. The homecoming parade route will begin at the high school and travel south toward Main Street before finishing near and elementary schools on Baker Road.

"The parade is really neat to see," Snider said. "The high school gets to showcase itself to the community and the other schools in our district. Every year, our younger students line both sides of the street on Baker Road, cheering for their classmates."

This year, each high school class will showcase its homecoming float, featuring a Disney theme. The freshmen will represent The Little Mermaid; sophomores will represent Pirates of the Caribbean; juniors will represent the movie Up; and seniors will represent Hercules. Ballots will be distributed at random to local business owners, who will judge the floats. The winners of the float competition will be announced, along with the 2011 homecoming king and queen, during halftime at the varsity football game.

On Saturday night, the DHS homecoming dance will be held from 8-11 p.m. at the high school. Students are allowed to bring dates younger than 21 from outside the district. Guest passes may be filled out at the DHS main office along with payment. Tickets for the dance cost $5 before Friday or $7 at the door. The formal dance will feature a disc jockey with a preapproved music playlist.

"The dance is usually well-attended and a lot of fun," Snider said. "Last year, we had about 900 kids show up.

"Every year, there is so much energy surrounding homecoming, but it varies as far as how much the students want to be involved," he said.

For more information about the week's events, visit dexterschools.org.