Falcons celebrate homecoming, Indiana Jones-style

By Frances Vanderploeg

Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008 | 1:39 a.m.

With Foothill High School's homecoming game kickoff less than two hours away Friday, marching band students were busy warming up on the field, football players were making their way to the sidelines and other students gathered for the inaugural tailgate party.

In the distance, on another Foothill field, a large, eight-foot foam boulder rested, awaiting the halftime show where it would be revealed. It was one piece of the larger, Indiana Jones-themed homecoming puzzle.

As part of the tailgate festivities, John Barr, the face of Findlay Toyota, sat in a chair dressed in rival Basic High School's sweatshirt, taking pies to the face.

"I'm allowed to duck!" he exclaimed in his thick Australian accent after Patrick Sheahan, 16, protested the near-miss that would have landed in Barr's face were it not for the quick reaction.

Barr was already covered in whipped cream when Sheahan's pie was hurled at him. For a few extra dollars, students were allowed to get "up close and personal," guaranteeing a direct hit.

Throwing pies at Barr was a highlight of the party, which was held as part of the homecoming festivities for the first time in several years.

Offering games and food two hours before the game started, it was partially held to make homecoming more welcoming to the community, Principal Jeanne Donadio said.

"We were hoping to bring families into it," she said. "We wanted the students to be able to come with their parents and make a night out of it."

This year's theme was based on Indiana Jones, and the student council decided to go all out. In addition to the usual spirit days and lunchtime games, they built a Mayan temple out of foam for the dance and also made the boulder to use during the revealing of the homecoming queen.

There was a committee set aside specifically for the halftime show, Katherine Du Pont, spirit committee chair, said. It's only 30 minutes, but it's an important 30 minutes, she said.

The boulder was used to make the revealing of the queen more exciting than just an announcement, Du Pont said.

At halftime, "Indiana" snatched the crown from atop the boulder, which caused it to roll away, leaving a trail of paper behind that had the queen's name, Chelsea Miller, painted on it. The rest of the court, including homecoming king Theron Tatum, were revealed during an assembly earlier in the day. Often the king is a football player, she said, so revealing his identity earlier is usually easier on everyone.

The boulder stunt was one of several ways to get the students excited about homecoming, which happened to be against one of the school's major rivals, Basic.

It's also the main source of income for student council, which uses the money to fund its expenses and any charity work it does. Last year the council made $10,000 from the Homecoming game and dance, Du Pont said.

With all of the time spent building floats, making commercials and planning activities, students said, Homecoming is easily one of the biggest activities of the school year. Similar to prom, many Foothill students looked forward to the various activities that are planned during school by student council, as well as the day of the dance, which several girls said their dates were in charge of planning.

Frances Vanderploeg can be reached at 990-2660 or [email protected].