HOMECOMING: Poly pride exuberated down Central Avenue as the annual homecoming parade and festival took place on Saturday, October 19.
By Roman McCree, Editor
Riverside Poly has been the home high school for Riverside for over a 100 years, after its establishment in 1887. With such great age comes even greater history. Poly has always been known for its great students and legacies they’ve left behind, but the school still continues a handful of traditions, a major one being the homecoming parade. The parade is an event held once a year as part of the homecoming festivities usually held in October. This parade is the morning of the homecoming game, regardless of the opponent. The parade not only helps to bring Poly pride into the community, but also to rally up energy for the game that night. It is also a celebration that acknowledges two senior nominees from each club, the school cheerleaders, the floats made by each class, the marching band, Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) and the football players.
Poly is the only school in Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) that continues to have a parade. The parade has always been a way of separating Poly from other local high schools. It unites the student life and Riverside community together as one. What follows the parade reinforces what Poly has always been about: bringing the community together. Post-parade, Poly has its accompanying festival and pregame rally on the campus. The festival is run by Poly’s students and staff itself, with each club running their own booth that they staff for the duration of the festival. With the festival having booths offering things ranging from delicious snacks to fake marriages to water balloon toss, the festival had something for everyone.
Poly’s homecoming festivities always have a major turnout because it is more than just its current students, but everyone who has ever walked the halls of Poly. From near and far, people come around once a year to relive their memories and keep their childhood alive within their community. Because regardless of how much time passes by, one thing will always hold true; Once a Poly Bear, always a Poly Bear.