The Heat of The Moment: A Homecoming Bonfire Recap
A recap of the Homecoming Bonfire and the people that were a part of it.
By Avalon Nielsen and Baylie Van Horn Turnidge
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October 5, 2023
Avalon Nielsen
The Homecoming Bonfire burns in the night Sept. 21. According to Fire Science, the fire was approximately 25 ft. high and 500 degrees Celsius. “The Homecoming Bonfire is always a cool tradition to be a part of and it’s cool to see the fire itself and how high it can get,” Mason Conrad ‘24 said.
Fire blazing, heat roaring, smoke billowing and hundreds of students huddled together.
This is the Homecoming Bonfire.
The Homecoming Bonfire was one of many Homecoming events, following the parade and Chili Dinner Sept. 21. The Bonfire is a large fire built and monitored by the Fire Science students and staff. It was located outside of the lower student lot 7:30 p.m. Sept. 21. The bonfire is free and open to all students, staff and families.
Jaylyn Luber ‘27 twirls a lit baton to kick off the Homecoming Bonfire Sept. 21. Luber started off the Bonfire to the song “Fireball” by Pitbull ft. John Ryan while throwing batons caught on fire. “To prepare for my Bonfire performance, I got together with both of my coaches to work on tricks that would look good and be safe with fire,” Luber said. “Throwing fire is something I always look forward to because it’s such a big deal in the baton-twirling world. It’s really fun to do something unusual and honestly, it’s not too hot.” (media by Avalon Nielsen)The South Metro Fire Rescue lights the Homecoming Bonfire outside the lower student lot Sept. 21. South Metro Fire Rescue ran the fire and Fire Science students ensured that safety precautions, such as the fire hose, were working. “[Fire Science students] had a very diminished role, [as] South Metro Fire is in charge, we [made] sure that the fire hose wasn’t tampered with,” Fire Science student Beckham Arnold ‘25 said. (media by Baylie Van Horn Turnidge)A crowd surrounds the Bonfire outside the lower student lot during Homecoming Week 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 21. The Bonfire took place after the Homecoming Parade and a chili dinner, which was hosted by Choir. “This was my first bonfire and it was a great way to be able to hang out with all of my friends,” Zari Jensen ‘27 said. (media by Bayle Van Horn Turnidge)
This story was originally published on The Rock Newspaper on September 29, 2023.
![NEW CHALLENGE, NEW TEAM MEMBERS: Every season, VEX creates a new game that robotics team members are faced with and have to build a robot to compete in. This year’s game forces students to create a robot that is able to stack rings onto mobile goals in order to score points. The change in games each season is something that robotics teacher Audrea Moyers appreciates.
“One of the things that I like about VEX is that they have a new problem to solve every year,” she said. ¨Even though the equipment’s the same, they have to analyze the game, and they have to come up with solutions that are unique that year. They are using their knowledge from prior years, but they have to kind of redesign a problem.”
As returning teams were faced a new game, some new teams and members had to adapt to a uncommon playing field and game.
“Three of our four teams were competing for the first time this year, and they had very different experiences match to match, so I think they learned a lot,¨ she said. ¨It’s hard just watching a video online to know how it’s actually going to be in person, so they all learned a lot about what gameplay is like, how to work with an alliance partner [and] how to adapt during the day to changes.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_9283-1-1200x800.jpg)