With everything happening with COVID-19 this fall, the traditional homecoming activities from years past have been replaced with smaller events that abide by social distancing rules.

Some of the events students attending Erie High in the fall of 2020 will be missing out on are, the homecoming dance, homecoming football game, Erie parade, and spirit week. In past years, all of these events had a large turnout because of how important homecoming was to students.

“It kind of sucks,” Hailey Davis, a senior at Erie High, said, “Part of the school experience is to see and to hang out with friends and to develop social skills and to get back into your normal routine from last year.”

Even though most of the usual activities had to be canceled, students have put together a make-shift homecoming week to continue the celebration. The new homecoming week events include kickball at the Erie Rec Center, a dodgeball tournament by the Vista Ridge Tennis Courts, and a day where students can get dressed up and get dinner with their friends. Additionally, students can vote for homecoming royalty, which is one of the only homecoming traditions that is continuing in the fall of 2020.

“I think the new stuff is cool and exciting as long as everyone is being safe,” says senior Ana Garcia, “I mean it is never going to be the same, but at least it’s something.”

For seniors, this would have been their last year to celebrate homecoming before graduating in May of 2021. Students at Erie High in 2020 will not be able to experience all of the usual traditions and are therefore missing out on making new memories.

“Yes I am mad,” commented Erie High senior, Megan Rackov, “I am missing out on my senior year!”

“I do feel like missing ho-co is like missing a big part of my senior year. I was actually going to go all out this year since it is my last, which is upsetting,” Garcia explained, “It makes me feel like I shouldn’t have taken this year for granted.”

While it is still unclear how big the turnout will be for this year’s homecoming week, it is certain that students are still grateful for the events they have this year. The regular homecoming events will be missed, but canceling them was deemed necessary due to COVID-19 restrictions.