“Yell as loud as you can, cheer for the team, and just have fun,” Mo El-Nazer ’27 advised Upper School (US) students who attended this year’s Homecoming weekend.
The annual event brought students, families, and faculty together for two days of athletic competition against Governor’s Academy beginning the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 5 and continuing into Saturday, Oct. 6. A team of faculty, students, and parents, led by the school’s Parent Association (PA), planned and organized this year’s event to engage students from all three campuses with free apple cider donuts, two bouncy houses, a cotton candy stand run by the Grade 12 Student Council, and more.
On Friday, Boys’ Varsity Soccer (BVS) faced off against Governor’s Academy, while Varsity Volleyball (VVB) competed against St. Mark’s School. Saturday had Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country racing at Fresh Pond against Belmont Hill, Governor’s Academy, and the Noble and Greenough School, and Varsity Field Hockey, Girls’ Varsity Soccer (GVS), and VVB all playing respective teams from Governor’s Academy.
The Varsity Football (VFB) team faced Thayer Academy in the final game of the weekend. As a player on the team, Mo experienced the school’s enthusiasm firsthand, he said.
“I really enjoyed seeing the whole school come together to support the football game. You could really feel the support from everyone. It made a huge difference.”
For Mo, the highlight of the day was beating Thayer Academy 43-8.
“It felt great beating Thayer Academy. There’s always some bad blood between us, but we went out, played hard, and took the win. At the end of the day, it was all love.”
The goal of Homecoming this year was to create a day of celebration and connection for everyone at the school, according to PA President Katie McCullough P ’28 ’30.
“We have been trying to build a community across the campuses,” she said. “I also worked really closely with all of the affinity groups, and they set up these amazing tables with fun offerings for the kiddos.”
Ms. McCullough said she and the other organizers specifically focused on expanding the event’s outreach this year.
“Homecoming has been primarily attended by the Upper School students, and so we really wanted to shift that and make it an all-school event.”
The PA hopes to host similar events later this year, Ms. McCullough said.
“Not only did we plan Homecoming, we’re also going to do an all-school event during the winter and spring to focus on sports across all seasons,” she said. “We hope to celebrate all sorts of things that make BB&N special and look into opportunities to get people to gather and celebrate those talents and in such a setting.”
Jack Rossiter ’26, a member of BVS, said that he was “impressed” with this year’s Homecoming.
“The soccer game was really fun. We had an amazing win against Governor’s Academy.”
Jack also attended the VFB and GVS games. He noticed the effort organizers put into this year’s event, he said.
“The apple cider donuts were delicious, and the BB&N faculty were handing out big foam fingers, so it seemed like the school was well prepared for the crowd.”
Despite the overall success, Jack felt that the student turnout at games could have been stronger.
“For the soccer and football games, there could have been a few more fans, and it could have been a little louder, but overall, it was pretty good.”
Lucia Abraham ’28, who played in a JV Field Hockey game against Governor’s Academy, disagreed.
“Our game was so fun, and there were so many people there,” she said. “The night before, my friends and I went to Friday Night Lights, and it felt like the whole school was there.”
The VFB game added to the excitement of the weekend, Lucia said.
“It was fun, especially since we won. Everyone was excited and supportive, and I had a really great time. Homecoming made me feel like a part of the BB&N community.”
Aparajita Srivastava ’25, who attended the BVS game, echoed that sense of community. She admired the collective effort to show school spirit.
“One of my favorite things about Homecoming is that there are people from all grades—seniors down to kindergarteners—and every campus makes an effort to come, which is really nice.”
She also enjoyed celebrating with students from all campuses, including her sibling, she said.
“My brother, who is a few years younger than me, was also there with his friends, so it was great seeing him.”
While the school may not garner as much visible spirit as larger institutions, its community- focused celebrations make up for it, Aparajita said.
“We have our own version of school spirit, and to me, that’s the best kind.”
