The goalposts were taken down, jerseys were stored away and Friday night lights aren’t lighting up the field this fall. After 37 years, Campbell Hall’s football program came to an end in late April of last school year. While students in the community believe the end of football also means the end of fall school spirit, Homecoming is here to prove those claims false and remind the student body of what it means to be a part of Campbell Hall.
Cheer Captain Emma Garfin ‘25 recognizes the dynamic changes brought on by the absence of football this season. She accepts how they are adapting to a new structure where cheer and football no longer co-exist and the team’s focus has transitioned from cheers to dances.
“When you think of Homecoming you think of a football game with cheerleaders in the halftime show,” Emma said. “It’s definitely different; the structure of our practices, our schedule and what we’re actually doing is really different when you’ve [shifted] to a dance team. It’s really weird not having football games every Friday because, in the past, [we] start prepping for football games in July and [we’re] learning 40 cheers and all of these different routines and all of a sudden, we’re not doing that.”
Head of the Activities Committee Dr. Valerie Jimenez is in charge of planning Homecoming and ensuring everything runs smoothly. Jimenez anticipates the expected changes in Homecoming and school spirit. She understands the emotional effect the loss of football is having on the community.
“Now that we don’t have football, one of the big things students talked about was not wanting to just replace football with something else and just carry on as usual,” Jimenez said. “A lot of people are lamenting the loss of our football program, which is understandable. But I do think school spirit goes beyond one sport. I think it will take some intentional conscious effort to work on building school spirit.”
According to Paulie Loscalzo and Janine Gin’s 2024 The Triangle article, schools with more school spirit tend to have happier students. Co-chair of the student activities committee Sara Guggenheim ‘26 feels the hit that school spirit took when the football team was dismantled. The committee worked with the administration to find solutions for Homecoming and devised a plan with the advancement department for the girls’ varsity volleyball team to play on the field. Guggenheim feels that this will raise school spirit.
“Having football canceled was a really big problem for us,” Guggenheim said. “We needed to find another sport that people still really enjoyed and wanted to watch, and I believe volleyball’s success last year pushed that.”
Kurt Johnson, the Director of Advancement was significant in planning Homecoming. By gathering feedback from parents, students, and the student activities committee, he and the advancement department created the plans. With the alumni band Great Big Cow performing, Johnsen believes that Homecoming this year showcases myriad talents and upholds the school’s mission to help students pursue their passions in all mediums while keeping some of the beloved traditions the same.
“Having to discontinue football is hard for everybody,” Johnson said. “I feel that loss as does everybody in our community, but it does give us the opportunity to be as creative as we possibly can. What would a more expansive and inclusive vision of Homecoming look like? Can we highlight some of the success we’ve had in girls’ athletics? These feel like the right moves because they fulfill those initial objectives: do more than we’ve done before, but keep the spotlight on athletics and keep as many of the traditions as possible.”
Interim Director of Athletics Brice London ‘96 has been connected to the school nearly his entire life; he became a student in fifth grade and has since then contributed to the community in a multitude of ways such as working summer jobs and being on the alumni board. London feels grateful to have this opportunity to support the community, whether it’s with Homecoming or sports in general.
“The athletics program is here to help support and fulfill the mission of Campbell Hall,” London said. “I believe that every program, athletics included, should be a reflection of the mission statement. And so getting to work with talented people and identifying how we can best support the kids on their journey has been really gratifying. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to figure out how we can best support the kids. [Homecoming] is something that’s going to bring a lot of joy to campus and allow us to really appreciate all the talents of the students.”
In regards to school spirit, Dr. Jimenez believes in putting in the work. She feels as though the CH community has a duty to contribute to school spirit which plays a large role in the homecoming turnout.
“We build it by being a part of it and contributing to it,” Jimenez said. “We’re just asking students to show up and to participate, the more of us that do that we sort of build off of that sort of energy.”
