A Perspective from the new Director of Student Life, Pete Demyanovich
What does a tradition that typically revolves around football games, and the return of alumni mean to an online high school? How do we honor traditions and push the boundaries of what is possible in a global community? As the new Director of Student Life attending my first event with Stanford Online High School, these were the questions I asked myself as I journeyed to Boston for Homecoming 2024.
The idea of homecoming originated over 100 years ago in the Midwest. Missouri and Illinois both have credible claims as the pioneers of the homecoming tradition. Regardless of who came up with the idea, the central concept has translated through the decades. As I spoke with members of Stanford OHS about what Homecoming meant to them, it was clear. Connection. Community. Friendship. Fun.
From Jessie, a parent of an 11th grader, “Homecoming gives us an opportunity to really get to know the whole Stanford OHS community no matter what their grade is. It gives them a great opportunity to really spend time together… real quality time, for days at a time, which I think is great.”
Annual Fund co-chair Katherine Pacholyk echoed Jessie’s thoughts, sharing “Homecoming means bringing a global community together to build and foster relationships with one another, and to see old friends and make new ones.”
To Stanford OHS students, what Homecoming means most to them was crystal clear: Connection. Alexa, a junior at Stanford OHS said, “It's a chance to come together as a community, as we are all online. Just getting together and participating in all these great activities is such a great bonding experience for all of us.”
Lara, who lives on a different continent, said “I live in Turkey and I only get to see my friends twice a year…so it's kind of like an opportunity to see my friends, catch up and keep our friendship going.” 8th grader Melanie felt similarly “Homecoming means connecting with friends the I’ve met online but not in person and haven’t seen in awhile.”
For others, events like Homecoming provide the chance to begin new friendships outside of classes. Bonds that can last for years. Josephine said “These events are where I met a lot of my friends. It's such a good way for me to use this opportunity to come to the east coast and…have a homecoming event that we can all do together as friends.” Saul, an 11th grader, echoed those sentiments, sharing “It's nice to meet people after seeing them online for years and never talking in person.” Sophia said, “These events really cement a lot of the friendships that I’ve made online and it gives an opportunity to branch out and talk to more people…that I don’t get to in classes.”
As Stanford OHS continues to refine the homecoming experience, we owe it to our families who want to participate but, for a variety of reasons, aren’t able to attend. I am committed to bringing more connection, friendship, and fun of homecoming weekend to the wider community. We will offer more virtual opportunities to join the educational experiences. Homecoming will be an event where everyone feels connected no matter where they are in the world. And although Stanford OHS might not have a football team, we still managed to squeeze in a flag football game and bring back alumni to share about their experience.
As Arnav, an 11th grader, put it ”Even if it's not for the alumni coming home, or like the first home game of the season, I guess the name homecoming is apt, because we’re all sort of coming together and meeting each other after a while.” So when it's all said and done, our online high school isn't that different after all.