Cimarron-Memorial students celebrate homecoming

By Jenny Davis

Monday, Sept. 22, 2008 | 6:49 p.m.

With a couple of teachers wearing shoulder-pack vacuums and goggles, it was the administration's turn to impress the Cimarron-Memorial High School student body during the lip syncing contest — one of the activities for Cimarron's Homecoming week Sept. 15 to 19.

All wearing blue jeans and white shirts, about 10 teachers or staff crept onto the stage looking around the cafeteria cautiously. Then the music started: "Ghostbusters." They danced around, mostly doing moves seen from the 50s and pointing to the crowd every time the lyric, "Who you gonna call?" came up.

Students were surprised to see the staff, including Principal Karen Stanley, dance around on stage and most laughed after a ghost (someone with a white sheet draped over him) came on stage at the end and was defeated by the staff.

"Nuh-huh, the teachers, are you serious?" said Nicole Hakin, a junior who came to watch.

Besides the staff, student councils for each class, the theater group and the executive board of the student council performed.

Lip syncing to shortened versions of songs by Britney Spears, Flo Rida and N'Sync, seniors from the theater group talked about how homecoming snuck up on them this year.

"It was too soon, there was no time to prepare," said Autumn Kramer. "We're looking forward to senior prom."

Being seniors for the first time, however, has its benefits.

"Getting out early at 10 is great, and our crowns are very exciting," Nolan Oller said.

Most of the seniors at the high school wore crowns that looked like spray-painted Burger King crowns that said, "Bow down to the crown."

"Being a senior is exciting, but it hasn't really sunk in yet," Autumn said. "But our crowns make it more legit."

Junior student council officers who lip synced to a Pussycat Dolls song agreed that homecoming snuck up on them. But they had a good time planning the events, like the lip syncing one. Other activities included a massive rock-paper-scissor contest, building floats for the homecoming parade, decorating the halls and setting up for the dance on Sept. 20. Students were also invited to dress up every day of the week for the Homecoming theme: To Infinity and Beyond.

"It's been really stressful in student council with all of the things we have to do," said junior Camelia Gallagher.

Planning homecoming activities was stressful, but somebody has to do it.

"I feel like someone has to do it, and if it's not me, then it's someone else who may not do it how I would like it," student Hamida Rahmani said.

Junior Starlyn Thomas said the week went well because of the school spirit students and teachers have.

"We're all like 300: We're Spartans and we stand together," she said.

For the homecoming game, Cimarron-Memorial played Shadow Ridge High School and dominated by winning 46-0.

Jenny Davis can be reached at 990-8921 or jenny.davis@hbcpub.com.