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Cottonwood Heights Journal

A week of fun, friends and tradition: Skyline and Olympus celebrate Homecoming Week

Oct 04, 2018 12:53PM ● By Jana Klopsch

Skyline’s Homecoming royalty was voted in by students, and winners were announced during the assembly. (Photo courtesy of Julia Morgan)

By Heather Lawrence | [email protected]

Olympus and Skyline High Schools both celebrated their Homecoming Weeks Sept. 10–15. Homecoming Week is a fun way to welcome the student body back to school, build up a sense of community and get kids involved in activities. The biggest events of the week for both the Titans and the Eagles were the Friday night Homecoming football games and the Saturday night semi-formal Homecoming dances. 

Olympus had a week packed with activities. “We had a great Homecoming Week,” said Principal Steve Perschon. “The students had a movie night on Tuesday with a food truck. Wednesday night we had a powderpuff football game. Thursday all the school clubs sponsored booths to tell students about their clubs, which is called Agora. Friday night before the game we did a torch run and lit the cauldron.” 

Olympus ended the week with their homecoming football game on Friday and the dance on Saturday. Olympus took on West Sept. 14 and the Titans defeated the Panthers 42-12. 

Skyline’s Homecoming focused on their traditions as well. The student body had an assembly Friday morning in the auditorium and the teachers introduced the theme for the year: RISE, which stands for resilience, integrity, support and excellence. The ideals were introduced in a short video with clips of student activities. 

The assembly also had a performance by the marching band. Then the cheerleaders got the student body on their feet and led them in the school song, with words appearing on the screen for any freshmen who might need help. The assembly was headed by the student body officers and principal Doug Bingham. 

Bingham named the newest inductee into the Skyline Eagle Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is a tradition that began in 1985 with the induction of Sharlene Wells Hawkes, a Skyline alumni who went on to have a successful singing career and receive national recognition in several areas. This year’s inductee was David Schwendiman, who currently teaches at the University of Utah’s S. J. Quinney Law School. 

“The Eagle Hall of Fame induction is an annual event. Our community council receives nominations of alumni or other people with ties to Skyline. This year they chose David Schwendiman, who has an impressive background and is a good representative of Skyline,” Bingham said. 

Schwendiman entered Skyline as a sophomore in 1962, the first year the school was open. Since graduation he has had an extensive career, which includes international law, domestic leadership and military service, in which he achieved the rank of lieutenant commander. In his comments to the student body, he talked a little about his history and time at Skyline and gave the students some advice for the future. “I am proof that a kid who says ‘yes’ enough times will get opportunities. So say yes to opportunities, believe in yourself and never give up,” Schwendiman said.

Other presentations during the assembly included giving recognition to all the captains of fall sports. Each one got time on stage and reported some highlights of their teams. Then the theme for the dance, “Build Me up, Buttercup,” was played out in a student-produced video that showed comical scenarios of students trying to ask other students to the dance. The Homecoming royalty was introduced and answered some funny questions about their dates before the boys dressed the girls in toilet paper dresses. 

Skyline Homecoming royalty were all seniors and included as duke and duchess Camden Robbins and Taylor Godfrey, prince and princess Garrett Powell and Cassidy Orr, and king and queen Isaac Campbell and Bailey Randle. The dance was held Saturday, Sept. 15 at the school. 

Skyline’s football team played Brighton Sept. 14 with Brighton winning 21-15. For more information on the football games for Olympus and Skyline, see the sports sections.