The air was filled with mums, decorations, proposals, and who can forget about the beloved football festivities. As soon as the first breeze of fall hits, students start to anticipate the homecoming season.

The week of homecoming at El Paso High rarely falls short of perfection. To kick off the eventful week, students participated in dress up days that began on Sept. 3 and continued throughout the week.

The dress up days are a way for student to get into the spirit and feel motivated for the following events.

“The members of the Pride and Patriotism Student Council committee were in charge of picking the dress up days and I was happy with the ones that were picked because they were all inclusive,” Senior Student Body Secretary and Head of Pride and Patriotism Committee, Javier Padilla said. “They fit our theme and we did some that I haven’t seen before especially at EPHS.”

On Oct. 3, the annual EPHS Parade took place with its usual route, but there were a few new things added to the long standing tradition.

The parade included the usual stars, such as the basketball team, the cheerleaders, Tigerettes, and the majority of the rest of the clubs at EPHS.

This year the parade welcomed organizations from around the surrounding neighborhood. Some of the newcomers joining the lineup included a “Rocket Ship” ambulance from the El Paso Children’s Hospital and the Chick-Fil-A Cow float.

“El Paso High has ties to the community and it’s not just El Paso High itself, it’s how we’re involved in so many outside activities that we do to brighten up the community. And to involve that into our homecoming parade is really cool because it shows the neighborhood that El Paso High is not just ‘El Paso High,’ it’s one big community family, and the meaning of El Paso strong is just coming together and that’s what El Paso High is all about,” Student Body President and Senior, Patrick Chacon said.

Following the parade was the highly anticipated Eve of the E. Eve of the E is an EPHS tradition put on purely through the efforts of the senior class. The senior class leaders design an image to be lit up onto the field with artificial candles.

Gallery • 5 Photos

Yulene Hernandez

Members of the 2020 senior class share one last memory as they celebrate the traditional Eve of the E at R.R. Jones stadium.

Senior volunteers spend all day placing the candles in an intricate way to achieve the desired image. Despite a few minor sound system errors, the night went off without a hitch.

“A bunch of seniors were super stressed out the night before… and when Eve of the E actually happened it was a stressful event… but the design by Maura Provencio came out amazing and it was still such a memorable night despite the mayhem,” Senior Class President and Senior Princess, Anneliese Huenneke said.

With the feeling of Eve of the E, Friday rolled around with much anticipation. The student body dressed in orange, black, and white as the week came to a close.

To begin Friday’s celebration, the Homecoming Assembly took place at the end of the school day. The assembly featured introductions of all fall sports and some of EPHS’s Outstanding Exes:

“The assemblies are always fun because its a time where everyone’s excited because it’s Homecoming week so theres a lot of excitement and a lot of good vibes around so it’s awesome,” Senior and Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Naila Torres said.

Friday evening brought volleyball and football, the volleyball team swept the Austin Panthers in three sets. The football team was not as fortunate. A strong fight was put up, but it was not enough to hold off the Irvin Rockets.

However, the mood was not ruined as the Homecoming Court was announced at the halftime show of the football game. The team continued to fight through the second quarter, but fell to the Rockets 26 to 23.

“The football team played their hearts out because they wanted it more this game than any other. I encourage other students to stay at the games because the more support the team sees they have, the more encouraged they are to try. They play their hardest and that’s all that should matter, not the scoreboard,” said Senior Homecoming Princess, Denise Porras.

Along with the excitement of homecoming, the Alumni Association had an exciting grand opening to their brand new alumni museum located on the visitors side of the football stadium.

To celebrate the opening, burgers and hotdogs were grilled for all to enjoy.

The mood carried into the following evening as the dance floor light up and music started playing. “A Night in Hollywood” truly was achieved as the decorations and even the students looked like they came straight out of a movie.

The magical evening eventually came to a close, but the memories will last forever.

“Homecoming was awesome. The atmosphere was super energetic and fun! Being in the court made me feel prideful, but the thing that makes me most happy was being able to represent my class and the school. I can’t wait for next year,” Freshman Princess and Class President, Maddie McGuire shouted.