Homecoming week not only celebrates school spirit and student involvement, but the dedicated Tribe members who plan it twice a year also consider it a rather large achievement.

The beginning steps to making spirit week happen require intense planning, as well as determining an individual theme for each day of the week.

“For the theme in both classes we discussed which would be better because we’re deciding between two,” Riley Taylor, a senior in Tribe, said. “We finally decided on the ‘What’s Up’ theme.”

Themes for the week started with pajama day and continued Tuesday with a Hawaiian theme. The rest of the week includes Disney day on Wednesday, retro day on Thursday, and will conclude on Friday when students wear the school colors of red, white and blue to show support for the basketball teams that will play later that night.

Homecoming also requires that the members of Tribe have adequately planned for the different games and activities students and teachers alike will compete in during Wednesday’s pep rally.

“We all get together and vote on what we want to do,” Megan Klug, co-president of Tribe, said. “We have to plan the pep rally and make sure people participate.”

Tribe is also responsible for purchasing all the supplies necessary for the pep rally and making sure that the materials needed are ready to go when it starts.

“For actual Homecoming court and stuff I have to go get flowers,” Emily Armburst, a senior in Tribe, said. “We have to get the crowns from somewhere and actually go get them.”

Though usually focused on the athletic events occurring in the week, this semester’s spirit week is all about the different clubs Manhattan High has to offer to its students along with their representatives.

“[In] fall you have all these people in sports instead of clubs and we have smaller ballots,” Armburst said.

Given the fact that each semester has a Homecoming event, one for football and one for basketball, Tribe has even more work when it comes to having variety within the two. Unlike last semester, this pep rally includes the parade of shopping carts uniquely designed and decorated by the different clubs offered at MHS. This allows them to display their skills and spread their publicity to people in the audience hoping to boost membership.

“Then once we get decided we have to get shopping carts from Walmart,” Klug said.

Homecoming also provides a different experience for Tribe in the planning process.

“This one doesn’t have a dance is the main thing because that took a lot of time,” Armburst said.

Despite having to constantly prepare for events like Homecoming, Tribe has shown that nothing can stop their ideas from taking flight and embraced the challenges presented to them.

“I mean there’s not a whole lot [to worry about]. It’s just fun,” Klug said. “I guess it’s really busy and a hectic week but it’s really fun to be a part of.”