Saturday, October 12th, marked the end of an eventful Homecoming week here at the Academies. Sporting their spirit wear thanks to a full week of dress down days, students were able to take part in multiple events throughout the week. 

The festivities began on Monday the 7th, as the Academies held a whole-school pep rally in the AA gym at the end of the day. It started with a rendition of the National Anthem, performed beautifully by Anika Meeusen ‘20, and included introductions of all of the fall varsity sports teams. In addition to this, there was also a table tennis standoff between Simon He ‘23 and Mr. Jacobs. Since Simon won, the whole school got a dress down day (thank you, Simon!). The pep rally was a great way to kick off spirit week, as the entire school got to be together and cheer for their favorite Academy teams. 

Friday, October 11th, was another big day at both schools. On the boy’s side, House Day was in full swing. Olcott, Gates, Henry, and Beck Houses competed in a series of events, with Beck House winning overall. Across the street, on the girl’s campus, the classes competed in Bacon Bat. The Freezing Freshmen, Scrapper Sophomores, Jaws Juniors, and Surfer Seniors attempted victories in both academic and athletic events, but at the end of the day of games, the Jaws Juniors took home the gold. Each class showed great sportsmanship throughout their competitions. That night, after both Bacon Bat and House Day, the Academies hosted a dodgeball competition and bonfire, both of which were a very nice way to close out the big day of events. 

Saturday marked the end of Homecoming week, and as expected, it was arguably the most eventful day of the entire week. Varsity girls’ soccer had a home game on the morning of the 12th against Watervliet, attracting a large crowd. This was far from a normal game. Everything was friendly until the last 30 minutes of the game, when a Watervliet player punched an Academy player in the face, causing the game to come to a pause. After this, another Academy player became verbally involved in the dispute. The Watervliet player received a red card and the second Academy player a yellow. Once Watervliet got the red card, they were forced to play with only 10 players on the field, instead of the usual 11. After the long and controversial game, however, AAG won with a score of 2-0 for their second win of the season.

Up north in Saratoga, other Academy teams competed. Both Boys and Girls Varsity Cross Country had the Ballston Lake Invitational at Saratoga State Park. Teams from all over the area came out to run. Both teams ran very well, several team members receiving a medal.

As these events happened, tailgating began on the Boys’ campus. Just as the Student Council had promised, free, limited edition Homecoming shirts were given out to the first 100 people in line. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and sausages were served, as well as many sweets. One of the highlights of the tailgate was the homemade cider doughnuts, which kept people coming back for more. Many also enjoyed the cotton candy, although more of it ended up on the sweatshirt of the people making it than inside the bags. Small children could also be seen playing football while waiting for the big game to begin. 

The main event of Homecoming weekend was, of course, the Caird Classic Football game. Though the AA Varsity football team lost their Homecoming game to St. Luke’s last year (27-25), that was not the case this year. The Cadets beat Cushing Academy with a winning score of 43-28. The game started out on a good foot, as within the first five minutes of the first quarter, Academy scored their first touchdown and was able to complete a two-point conversion. The scores were back and forth for most of the game, but the Cadets were able to pull through in the end. “It was a hard-fought victory, and as a team, I think we really came together and played well against a decent opponent,”  team captain, Dan Enides ‘20, said. The Cadets currently have 3 wins and 4 losses. 

The week ended with the Homecoming dance on Saturday night, held in the Standish pool looby. Though there was a bit of confusion regarding the theme (Hawaiian shirts were worn by some), the dance had a great turn out and provided a nice end to the week, allowing both Academy and non-Academy students to get together and have a great time. 

         Homecoming was an exciting week, continuing an honored tradition that will hopefully be continued for many years to come. Despite the soccer game drama and the confusion regarding the dance theme, students, faculty, alum, and families were able to spend time together and enjoy themselves while celebrating the Academies. Here’s to next year. Go Bears and Cadets!