Through their instagram account @jesuitpdx_spirit, student government on Thursday, September 26 announced that this year’s Homecoming theme is Rio.
Rio is an animated movie about a bird who travels from Minnesota to Rio de Janeiro. Throughout the movie, this bird experiences the vibrant culture of Brazil and creates strong relationships. The movie is full of bright colors, an exciting soundtrack, captivating characters, and thrilling adventures.
But, how was the Homecoming theme chosen?
Each year the homecoming theme is chosen almost exclusively by the student government class. Within student government five people are chosen to become the homecoming chairs. These five people compile a list of many different homecoming themes that they think would be compelling to the entire student body. These themes can range anywhere from old dance themes, to themes they see on social media, or ones that are just thought up in the moment.
The initial list isn’t necessarily restricted to only the homecoming chairs. The homecoming chairs open up to discussion to everyone in student government and are also open to ideas from the student body.
“In student government, we have a strong community where we are all open to ideas and new voices. I am not on the homecoming committee but I still felt included in the discussion and felt my voice was heard”.
Once one big list is compiled, the homecoming chairs come together to slowly narrow it down into a smaller, more concise list. This year’s chairs eventually narrowed it down to five possible themes and presented them to the class for feedback.
Their final list consisted of themes like “Mamma Mia,” “Lala land,” “Cars,” a “Ratatouille” inspired night in Paris, and, finally, “Rio.” Right off the bat Rio was a class favorite.
The homecoming chairs take the class feedback and start to make decisions. They take into consideration the different decorations and visions that could be played out for each theme and eventually decide that they like the aesthetics of Rio the best.
“I have a Pinterest board in my mind,” stated ASB cabinet member Ingrid Schmidt. “So very much colorful Brazil carnival vibes that we see in the movie.”
Students are generally excited about the announcement.
“I really like it. I like the gold and metallics and the turquoise. I’m excited,” senior Kitty Ayotte said.
“I’m really excited about the homecoming theme,” added senior Hannah Wendler. “Rio was my favorite movie when I was younger so I’m excited to see it come to life through homecoming.”
