The homecoming theme this year at Barrington High School was “Around the World,” and officials reported that scores of students took part in what is a celebrated high school tradition.
Homecoming week kicked off Sept. 27 with a pep assembly. Other activities included a parade Saturday that stepped off from the Barrington Metra commuter train station and rolled through downtown to the school. That was followed by the football game at the stadium where the Broncos hosted Schaumburg in a conference match up.
BHS won the game 28-12, giving the school even more to celebrate at the homecoming dance that followed that night.
Barrington School District 220 spokeswoman Samantha Ptashkin told Pioneer Press in an email that about 1,400 students attended the dance. It was initially planned to be held outside but, due to weather, school officials moved it into the school gymnasium, she said.
With public health mitigations still in place, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Ptashkin said all in attendance were required to wear masks since the dance was indoors.
“BHS used the entire gymnasium and created an outside space next to the gymnasium during the dance so students could take a mask break,” she wrote in the email.
And at the football game, she explained, BHS provided additional seating options to allow for physical distancing.
School officials had planned to host activities outdoors as much as possible, but weather this year sidelined that a bit. Still, Principal Steve McWilliams said in the email that many of the tweaks made for homecoming this year could become part of the way the event is planned each year going forward.
“We adjusted our traditional homecoming events so that they could be held outside in our stadium,” he said in the email. “These adjustments were successful, and we will look to incorporate them in future years.”
