By Chris Barber
Contributing Writer

The staff, students and graduates of Kennett High School capped off Homecoming Week, Sept. 22-27, with a dance, a parade and a convincing football victory.

Much of the celebrating came together at halftime in the football game on Friday evening when 10 royalty finalists were introduced, and Morgan Carter and Blake Beyer were named this year’s Homecoming Queen and King. Their crowns were bestowed at mid-field, and they posed for pictures by friends and the press.

While that last full week of September was dubbed “Homecoming,” with the widespread implication that graduates were welcome to return, the celebrations included even the youngest kindergarten kids accompanied by parents or grandparents who helped them along what was likely their first parade appearance of their lives.

The homecoming parade, which preceded the Friday night football game, was somewhat quick but held many marchers.

The Kennett High School Marching Band led off with their usual “Sweet Caroline,” and the musicians were followed by the blue-clad cheerleaders waving their pompoms. The band members also brought with them in their march the ship-like paraphernalia that was to shortly be the prop for their halftime show.

The student classes followed from the very youngest through elementary students gathered with their respective school building mates. That included much cheering and waving.

The high school classes then presented floats conceived of and decorated by the members of each high school class, and each class chose a different theme to compete. There were lots of balloons and bright colors on those adorned convertibles and trucks. The winning float, announced at mid-game, was the sophomore creation.

Bringing up the rear of the parade were five cars carrying the 10 chosen members of the royal homecoming court riding in pairs.

As she usually does, Superintendent Kimberly Rizzo Saunders joined the marchers, handing out Kennett School-promoting stickers.

Among southern Chester County high schools, Kennett is the only one that sits squarely among its neighborhoods. The march by the band, cheerleaders and others appropriately and conveniently took a few turns through the surrounding streets and back to the school, enabling several thousand neighbors to watch them and cheer them right from their homes or a quick walking distance.

Then, later, as the first half of the football game against Sun Valley ended with Kennett far ahead, the band presented its intermission show.

The theme was that of pirates, and the music played background with numbers that enhanced a shipboard dance and performance, including a large boat that had traversed the parade route earlier.

The homecoming week celebrations concluded with a dance on Saturday night.