Sam Barlow High School’s annual homecoming football game took place on Friday, September 12th. The stands were packed as the Barlow Bruins took on their rivals, the Gresham Gophers. Part of the homecoming festivities included a halftime show with a performance by the dance team and the student council, which ended with the crowning of the homecoming king and queen.
The halftime show started with the dance team performing to the song “Get Big”, which brought energy and school spirit onto the field. Senior dance team captain Deanna Heintz shared what the performance meant to her, since it was her last homecoming halftime show. “I think it just makes everything all real, knowing that it’s really coming to an end. I love dancing with all my teams over the past four years and getting close with my other seniors,” she says. Heintz has been on the dance team since she was a freshman, and has enjoyed all of the homecoming performances, but her favorite was when she was a sophomore. “That one was a lot of fun, and I got to do it with the seniors who I became very close with.” Her advice for younger teammates who haven’t done as many homecoming dances is to believe in themselves because they know the dances and routines; they just have to perform them and have fun.
While the dancers brought energy onto the homecoming field, the dance team coach, April Anderson, emphasized how hard they worked to prepare to perform. “We start practices in the middle of August,” she notes, even though they work on other things besides the homecoming dance. When it comes to choosing the dance and song for the halftime show, Anderson explained that the team tries to “go with the theme” and make decisions after a “discussion with seniors.” The homecoming halftime show is memorable for her and the team because there is a bigger crowd, and it is part of the school tradition.
Anderson is also in charge of the student council, which did a fun and energetic dance on the football field. Anderson chooses that dance after a discussion with the class and bases it on what other schools are doing. They dance because the student council members “don’t want to do skits.”
Taylor Ward, a member of the student council, participated in the halftime show for her first time this year. “I had a lot of fun. It was a great experience, especially for my first time.” The student council dance offers a unique opportunity for student council members to do something different and have fun. “I didn’t quite know what was going on when we were learning a dance in the middle of class, but when I figured it out, I was very intrigued,” Ward explains. “I especially had a lot of fun because I am the type of person who likes to put herself out there and make people laugh.”
The halftime show ended with the crowning of the homecoming queen and king, seniors Audrey Carlson and Powell Jacob.
The halftime show highlighted the school spirit and traditions that make homecoming a memorable experience for both the students on the field and the fans in the stands.
