Last week, Albert Lea High School celebrated Homecoming with a wide variety of activities. 

The events first began on Friday, Sept. 17 with the annunciation of the 2021 Homecoming royalty. The court, which is made of students from the senior class, consisted of female candidates Taya Jeffrey, Lucy Stay, Esther Yoon, Vayda Stadheim and Abby Chalmers, and male candidates Carter Miller, Jared Turrubiartes, Leon Kong, Henrik Lange and Cole Janssen. 

The ALHS Student Council truly kicked off the festivities at 7:15 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 20 when they arrived to decorate the building with streamers, posters, banners and wallpaper. The senior class also chipped in with some fun of their own, saran-wrapping desks, chairs and other various objects around the school. 

On Thursday, Sept. 23, Student Council hosted the first-ever Senior Sunrise event at the ALHS tennis courts. With the sunrise slated for 7 a.m., the over 70 attendees began arriving in comfy clothing and with blankets around 6:30 a.m. A $2 ticket bought them a Hy-Vee donut, a choice of chocolate milk or orange juice and an opportunity to spend the morning with their classmates. Many seniors took the opportunity to decorate “senior pants,” most of which featured their graduation year of 2022, their name, tiger paws and other embellishments. 

Friday, Sept. 24 featured most of the week’s events. The Homecoming coronation took place during seventh hour, and the entire senior class was invited to the auditorium to observe the crowning. The candidates were escorted down to the stage by a classmate of their choosing while junior emcees Kailey Boettcher and Patrick Holcomb spoke about their extracurricular activities, hobbies and personalities. After all of the nominees were seated on stage, a slideshow began, featuring images of the royalty from childhood to the present. At last, Leon Kong and Lucy Stay were crowned as the 2021 Homecoming King and Queen. 

Right after the coronation, the underclassmen powderpuff football games kicked off at Jim Gustafson Field. The freshman class came out victorious, beating the eighth graders in the first game before coming out on top of the sophomores. The main game between the juniors and seniors kicked off at 2:15 and resulted in a senior class win of 12-0. 

The Homecoming football game, which began at 7 p.m. on Friday night, was the last event of the week. Before the game, the dance team and pep band performed. Halftime saw both the marching band and the dance team put on a show before the Homecoming royalty were introduced to the crowd. 

The final score of the game was 42-14, with the Tigers falling to the Kasson-Mantorville KoMets. Due to COVID-19, there was no Homecoming Dance, but students were able to meet up with the football players on the field after the game and socialize in a final bit of Homecoming spirit and celebration. 

With the conclusion of Homecoming Week, life at ALHS has returned to normal. As fall sports and activities wind down, students and staff have many other events, including the fall musical and winter sports, to look forward to.