A week of homecoming festivities will hit a booming crescendo with fireworks and the crowning of school royalty at the half-time show of Mount Si’s home football game against Juanita on Friday, Oct. 24.

Homecoming is a beloved tradition of welcoming back alumni, and the Valley will be celebrating the week leading up to Saturday evening’s semi-formal dance, which has the theme “City Lights.”

“We hope that the homecoming activities create school pride, spirit, and unity, celebrate Mount Si, and bring back alumni through a variety of activities,” said Beth Castle, assistant principal.

The spirit week kicked off Monday with a school assembly during which the underclass “prince and princess” were named, and candidates for senior class king and queen were asked often-humorous, school spirit-related questions. The student body voted on winners whose identity will be revealed at the football game’s half-time show Friday.

Homecoming royalty serve as ambassadors for the school, Castle said.

“It’s an honor to be selected as homecoming royalty,” she said. “They’re usually students who are well-involved in school activities, well-known and respected by their peers.”

The rest of the week, students may dress up in different themes each day, and the schools hallways are transformed into Las Vegas, New York, Tokyo and Paris by the four classes in keeping with the “City Lights” motif.

A skit assembly on Thursday, Oct. 23 will give budding thespians a chance to show off their acting chops, and the school’s culinary arts students will display their cooking talents at a special homecoming dinner in the school’s commons area from 5 to 6:30 p.m., just before the football game.

All families, friends and alumni of Mount Si High School are welcome, and there will be a program honoring alumni who graduated between 1951 and 1955. Mount Si music and dance students will provide the entertainment. All are welcome, but tickets to the dinner must be bought in advance.