Sweet Homecoming For Krum ISD, this tradition is a communitywide event.

Sweet Homecoming Krum ISD celebrates this Texas tradition in a big way.

by Taylor Poston Public Information Officer Krum ISD

Every Texan knows the age-old saying, “Everything is bigger in Texas,” and when it comes to Homecoming, that is especially true for the small town of Krum, Texas.

With just over 5,000 residents living within the city limits, Krum is a small community located northwest of the city of Denton in Denton County. With more than 2,200 students, Krum Independent School District has five campuses, one of which is the high school. I first started working with the district in the 2018-19 school year. 2018 was not my first Texas Homecoming, but it was my first Krum Homecoming, and it was very different from what I experienced in my high school years a decade ago. Sure, we had the pep rally, the homecoming carnival and the homecoming game, but it was usually just us high school kids (and our parents) who went to those events. The only sign that it was Homecoming to the people that lived around my high school was the sight and sound of Homecoming mums or nicely dressed teenagers at dinner before the dance.

That whole experience was changed for me forever in the fall of 2018. A young football community, Krum has only had football Homecoming for the last 10 years. Before that, it was during basketball season. However, the youth of their Homecoming traditions only adds to the amazing turnout of school spirit that this event sees each year. People are not participating in these traditions because they’re expected to; they participate because they truly want to.

Homecoming in Krum is almost an indescribable experience. The amount of school spirit increases so much, I almost wonder if they put something in the well water we’re all drinking. Each year there’s a theme, of course, and this year’s theme was Home Sweet Homecoming (think Candyland). This year, each of our five campuses, from the littles in PreK to the seniors who are “too cool for school” participated in the same dress-up spirit days all week long. No matter what campus you went to on Monday, teachers and students of all ages were wearing their pajamas since they just Rolo-ed Out of Bed! Wednesday saw the countless families line our Bobcat Boulevard to watch our Homecoming parade drive down the road and toss candy to the onlookers. With over 30 floats in this small town’s parade, every organization from the city’s youth sports teams, local businesses and, of course, the high school athletes were represented. Thursday had us not just seeing double, but also triple and quadruple as groups of students and teachers dressed alike for Twix Day.

Each year, Friday is when Krum Homecoming really hits its stride with some meaningful traditions. The day starts early for the KHS Bobcats Varsity Football team, and it’s not on the field. It’s not in the field house watching tapes either. Early game-day morning, we see our athletes at one of our elementary campuses greeting the younger students as they arrive at school. The students are always so excited to see the players in their Bobcat Blue jerseys open doors for them, join them for breakfast and create a high five line as they walk to their classes. The fifth graders try their best to make each high five as powerful as possible, and you can hear the teachers coming behind them shouting “Gentle! It’s game day! They need those hands!” The players end the morning at the campus with a beloved tradition in Krum – Athletes for Literacy. Each classroom has a few football players sit down with the students and read them a story to help promote a love of reading and academics, showcasing that even to these athletes on a big game day, school matters.

This year, we saw the well-known enormous and gorgeous Homecoming mums worn by our Krum High School students, but we also saw mums at the elementary schools where our younger students wanted in on the tradition that is so uniquely Texas. Even baby brothers and sisters sport their spirit in the form of a mum or garter. The mums don’t just showcase school colors and school spirit, but also the individual personality of each student wearing one. Everyone has a smile on their face as they show off their mum and exchange oohs and ahs with each other as they admire one another’s creations.

The pep rally? Unbelievable. Per tradition, the students of Krum Middle School walk the .3 miles down our private road to the high school to join in on the fun. There are TONS of games for the students and the staff. KHS even has a faculty Homecoming court where the student body votes on faculty member representatives for each grade level to become the Faculty Court’s King and Queen. Our staff takes it very seriously, with posters lining the halls all week encouraging voting. This year, the theater teacher was nominated, and she came dressed for success in accordance with the theme in a cotton candy pink, yellow and white ball gown costume. She ended up winning queen, making the ensemble even more perfect. Like every good pep rally, we closed things out with a spirit stick competition that was so loud my eardrums were shaking. And no, that’s not an exaggeration for effect.

During Homecoming, everywhere in Krum on Friday, people are either wearing their Bobcat Blue or their Home Sweet Homecoming shirt to show that they are ready to cheer on the Bobcats! When game time rolls around, the bleachers are so packed that spectators line the fences to try and see if the Bobcats will secure the victory. This year they did. Go Bobcats!

Of course, no Homecoming would be complete without the crowning of the Homecoming King and Queen. The entire court is presented during halftime, escorted down the 50-yard line by their loved ones as the Krum High School Marching Band plays beautiful background music to accompany their introductions. When the time to crown the Homecoming King and Queen has come, last year’s king and queen, who have come home from their adventures in college for the occasion, take their crown and sash and place it onto the new Homecoming Royalty.

Everything may be bigger in Texas, but Homecoming is the biggest in Krum.