After years without the celebration, Homecoming, organized by the Student Activities Association (SAA), is returning to campus on November 8, marking a revival of school spirit and community bonding. “The decor is a mix of our traditional orange and blue with a touch of the elegance that we represented in the flyers,” SAA Co-Head Tiana Sandefur ‘26 stated.
This will be the first Milton Homecoming for all current students. The dance took place at Milton in the early 2000s, but as time went on, that event faded due to Milton’s departing values with the dance’s traditional representation, which highlighted one group of people, excluding others. SAA Co-Head Elizabeth De Ramel ‘26 explained, “the hope is that rather than having Homecoming be centered around a football game with a tailgate and Homecoming queens and kings, et cetera, this year's Homecoming is designed to celebrate the achievements of the students and Milton Academy as a whole, for an impressive start to the school year.” She added, “We want Homecoming to celebrate the fall sports teams, the theatre productions, music, and much more.”
When Homecoming departed from the school’s offerings, new events such as Glow Dance took its place. This year, SAA leaders plan on reimagining the dance to accommodate Milton’s aim of celebrating the achievements of the community.
For months, SAA planned the event with their intent of promoting an inclusive environment. De Ramel also mentioned that SAA “didn’t get Homecoming approved for so long because … the traditional stereotypes, for example having a prom king and queen, [don’t] parallel with Milton Academy’s values.” However, after altering the common Homecoming traditions, Milton’s administrative team allowed the dance to make its comeback.
Many students shared excitement for the return of the dance. Cecelia Holland ‘29 remarked, “I’m so excited for this tradition to return.” She explained that she has “been looking forward to it ever since it was announced.” Other students add they have never experienced a Homecoming dance at Milton before, which heightened the anticipation for the dance.
The anticipated event will be hosted in the first court of the ACC, with music, food, and fun games. Mary Quatrale ‘26 shared that “this is a super exciting event because I’ve never got to do anything like this before in my Milton years. I think this is a super fun way to get the school together and create more school spirit.”
SAA hopes that Homecoming will again become a recurring tradition, but the turnout of this year’s Homecoming could affect future years. SAA Co-Head Lilah Mueller ‘26 explained, “we don’t know if Homecoming will be a recurring tradition, but if this year's Homecoming succeeds, SAA hopes to make it an annual tradition that students will be able to look forward to every fall.”
Whether or not it becomes a yearly tradition, this year’s Homecoming reflects a desire from the student body to have more cross-grade bonds and school spirit. SAA has planned an event that blends traditional high school experiences with inclusivity and celebration of all.