The Homecoming Success

by Zayda Hernadez

After the disappointing cancellation of this year's Pep-Rally, Newfield High School had its annual Homecoming Parade where the community, teachers, and students came together to celebrate the welcoming back of the alumni or other dignitaries in a form of school spirit. The morning event was opened up by Mr. Graviano, where he welcomed the crowd and introduced Jules Mast, under the direction of Ms. Meichner, to sing the national anthem. After introducing the dignitaries, he welcomed to the stage the G.O cabinet and advisors to announce the parade participants while light music played in the background.

The Newfield Wolverine opened the parade as he defended the team from the Smithtown West Bulls, our homecoming rivals. As The Wolverine continued his hunt, the Newfield Band marched promptly afterward under the direction of Mrs. Bush and Dr. Goldstein where they performed the iconic Micheal Jackson’s Thriller. After the band took it away, our Grand Marshals, Mr. Fernandez, and Mrs. Renahan entered the parade being honored for all their hard work and dedication to Newfield. Mr. Fernandez retired last year after twenty years of service while Mrs. Renahan continues to dedicate her amazing work in the Newfield main office. As a community, we would like to say thank you to our Grand Marshals. Right behind them, we had the two nominated courts, Julissa Spooner and Aamir Sheikh, as well as Anthony Cresser and Pablo Rubio. As the Grand Marshals and the courts took their seats to enjoy the rest of the parade, our Homecoming Royalty, Rose Fernandez, and Anthony Alberti made their royal entrances to accompany the rest of the court.

Throughout the parade, the Newfield Varsity, JV, and Selden Middle School cheer teams performed their choreography as they would, later on, continue to astonish the crowd with their cheer. Later the Selden Middle School and Newfield Varsity Kickline performed their choreography with varsity seniors, Delaney Unger, Katie Chan, and Sophia Friedman who were later recognized for their hard work and dedication at halftime. The parade also welcomed the Thespian Honor Society with a short performance of “The Nicest Kids in Town” from the musical “Hairspray ” choreographed by Kate Groshans. Some of the Middle Country Elementary Schools like Hawkins Path, Stagecoach, and North Coleman Road participated to show their school pride led by members of their school. Coming to the end of the parade, each class performed a TV skit where they were scored by the dignitaries on different levels of creativity. The Freshmen Class of 2026 led by their advisor Ms. Maffia, performed the well-known, Stranger Things. The Sophomore Class of 2025 led by advisor Ms. Serabia, decided to feud out the show, Family Feud, where they even took the attribute to impersonate some Newfield teachers. The Junior Class of 2024 led by advisors Ms. Montalto and Mr. Beretta, expressed their performance with mystery as they acted out Scooby Doo. Lastly, the Senior Class of 2023 led by advisor Ms. Zeigler, reenacted a scene from the iconic show, Friends, and ended the parade with the show's famous theme song playing. Unfortunately, the Selden Fire Department did not get to participate in the parade due to a call from the station but Mr. Graviano took the liberty of closing the ceremony with acknowledgments to the admin team, custodial staff, security team, and behind-the-scenes members that made the amazing homecoming parade a success.