SEBASTIAN — Now in its 19th year, Sebastian River High School has an alumni base of about 4,500 in the community, so homecoming is becoming a larger part of the heritage of the Sebastian River Area.
To foster that sense of community and school pride, Sebastian River High School is expanding the scope of its homecoming activities in an attempt to include local residents and the business community as well as alumni and the families of current and future Sebastian River High School students.
The 2012 Sebastian River High School homecoming festivities kick off with the Homecoming Dance at 7 p.m. Sept. 29 at the school. Sebastian alumni are encouraged to attend.
The school will celebrate with Spirit Week the week of Oct. 1 through Oct. 5 and the inaugural Sebastian River High School Community Homecoming Parade will be at 4 p.m. on Oct. 4 down Indian River Drive. Most of the local schools and their various athletic and performing arts programs will be represented in the procession.
The parade will feature the Sebastian River High School state champion girls’ basketball team in classic convertibles, the Marching Sharks band, cheerleaders, the Naval Junior ROTC cadets, Indian River County Fire Rescue vehicles, the Sebastian Police Department and Indian River Sheriff’s Office vehicles and the Sharks varsity football team.
“Our invitation to middle and grade schools that feed into SRHS was warmly received,” said Sebastian River High School Athletic Director and parade Chair Michael Stutzke. “We hope the community will come out and support the floats, marching band, State Championship girls basketball team and the Homecoming Court. This event is long overdue and should be lots of fun for our community.”
Registration is closed for entering floats or groups in the parade. Line-up of floats and parade participants will be at 3 p.m. near the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce on the corner of Main Street and Indian River Drive. The Sebastian Lions Club will be organizing the floats, bands and vehicles.
The parade will follow the traditional Fourth of July parade route down Indian River Drive to Riverview Park. Entries will be judged and a trophy awarded to the winner. Stutzke thanked city officials for giving the parade the go ahead.
“Every community should have an event like this that annually celebrates education and student activities,” he said.
The “perpetual” Sebastian River High School homecoming parade Parade trophy will be sponsored and presented at the conclusion of the parade at Riverview Park by the Sebastian Rotary Club. The trophy will be awarded to the float that shows originality, school spirit by incorporating the “Royal Blue, Silver and Black” and utilization of the theme “ Sharks tame the Lions.”
After the parade, the community is invited to attend the Powder Puff football game at 7 p.m. at Shark Stadium, 9001 Shark Blvd., Sebastian, to see the ladies of the Class of 2013 take to the gridiron against the Class of 2014, cheered on by the young men from the varsity football team. Tickets cost $5 per person for this light-hearted, spirited event and will be available at the gate. Admission to the game includes the bonfire to follow at 8 p.m.
For this year’s homecoming football game, Sebastian River High School will be hosting the Olympic Heights Lions out of Boca Raton at 7 p.m. Oct. 5 in Shark Stadium. Gate admission is $6 per adult or $3 per student and tickets can be purchased at the gate the night of the game.
“Also, each year at the Home coming game we honor the class celebrating its ‘10-Year Reunion’ by providing free admission to the game and a place of honor in the stands with a banner – this year class of 2002 – along with crowd acknowledgement,” Stutzke said.
For more information about homecoming activities in general, call the Sebastian River High School athletics office at (772) 564-4241 or (772) 564-4235.
