Gallery: Homecoming bonfire
Bonfire attendees gather to sing the Southwest Alma Mater.
On Wednesday, Sept. 9, the courtyard filled with students for the annual homecoming bonfire. The Wolf Pack Crew (WPC), which is a new school spirit and leadership club, led this year’s bonfire.
Since this was the first year that the bonfire was held in the courtyard, rather than in the parking lot, WPC’s first big project was getting the schedule in order so that the new location was a success.
“Since we changed the location, there were a lot of new things that needed to be prepared,” senior WPC member Sarah Towakoli said. “We needed to get a new burn permit, book a caterer, gather games, go shopping for prizes, have facility request forms approved, etc. We had a lot of late nights at school where some kids wouldn’t go home until 9 p.m., but it all paid off in the end.”
The Glitter Girls, cheerleaders, Emerald Regiment and choir performed, and football coaches and senior football players gave speeches. A live DJ performed, and a video played called a “Day in the Life” that looped through pictures of students that WPC took for a week to show the community what it is like to attend Southwest. In addition, there were games such as a water balloon contest, hula hoop contest, limbo contest and pop walk contest.
“The hardest part about preparation was wanting every last thing to be perfect,” Towakoli said. “The bonfire was really important to me because I really want our school to come together and become more of a family. I think once we start making connections and raising school pride, everyone’s high school experience will benefit. I know that it makes the teams and clubs we are supporting really happy when they see us excited for them not only when they are successful, but even when things don’t go perfectly either. To me that’s what real school spirit is about.”
The night concluded with a burning of the Shawnee Heights mascot, the Thunderbird. The Timberwolves play the Thunderbirds at the homecoming game on Friday, Sept. 11 at home.
