Students formed a wall of white on Franke Field. School merchandise, apple cider donuts and burgers filled tents near the Nicholas Athletic Center. Lower School kids jumped in bouncy houses amid the growing mountain of foam sprayed from a bubble machine.

 It was all part of the school’s effort to celebrate Homecoming from Oct. 17–18 and spread school spirit. 

 The senior prefects and Assistant to the Dean of Students Kerri Anne Shea organized Spirit Week. From Oct. 16–24, students dressed up in school colors and wore themed clothing, like Pajama Day and Boston Day.

 “Spirit Week brings a good amount of school spirit and is important for advertising Homecoming,” senior prefect Amanda Berlin ’26 said. “I like the traditional high school vibe that it brings. But also, not a lot of people participate.”

 The school’s size may contribute to its lack of school spirit.

 “It’s harder for us because we have fewer students, while at big public schools, more people are advocating for it,” Amanda said. “We have the senior prefects, but it’s only 12 of us. At bigger schools, it could be a huge student council committee. Considering that we’ve got 500 students in the school building, we’re doing a pretty good job.”

All in for Homecoming

 Fall sports media manager Armando Levitt ’27 promoted Homecoming via social media.

 “Social media opens a lot of eyes and hopefully shows the students who decided not to go to those games that BB&N is the place to be,” he said. “They’re really entertaining and enjoyable. As a community, if we stand up and show out for our classmates, we’ll see a really positive influence there. Social media is a big factor that can inspire kids to show up to more games in the future.”

 US History Teacher Jessica Stokes went to four of the seven Homecoming games.

 “Being willing to show school spirit is an improving area for BB&N,” she said. “We’re learning how to do that better as a group. It’s really good to see so many people out at the events I went to, and that’s the place to start.”

 Students and families showed up to support US teams, Ms. Stokes said. “I felt like the energy was even higher this year than in past years. Maybe it was because of the social media presence. It definitely helps generate energy, spread information about when and where the events are, and it’s fun when you see somebody’s picture who you know.”

 Homecoming appealed to all three campuses, Ms. Stokes said.

 “It was fun to see how families with kids, especially young kids, got to get in on the action for Homecoming. The bouncy house is a good addition and a way to make the event accessible to B through 12 and to get Lower School students excited about the opportunity to play in those games when they get older.”

39 yards to victory

 Everyone watched in silence, eyes fixed on the 39-yard field goal attempt. On the opposite side of Berylson Field, Milton fans roared, trying to rattle Varsity Football (VFB) kicker Vince Snoonian ’26.

 With two seconds left, and VFB trailing 22-21, Vince’s kick soared in the air and cleared the uprights. Students rushed onto the field to celebrate the 24-22 win.

 “It’s a community event where lots of people come out and have a lot of fun while supporting our team,” Head VFB Coach Mike Willey said. “Our team works really hard for this game every year, and we always hope to put out a good product.”

 Coach Willey said the revised Homecoming schedule encouraged greater turnout.

 “I love how the Athletics Department’s doing it this year, where they’re lining games up and spreading them out, some on Friday, some on Saturday, and they’re at different times. For example, we’ll be at the volleyball game on Friday and cheering them on. Then, we will get out to the night games. We like to get out to games, too!”

 Fall sports media manager Armando Levitt ’27 wished more students had shown up for the football game.

 “Regarding the entertainment of the game, it was phenomenal,” he said. “Considering the atmosphere, BB&N did a good job of offering a lot of different options, like merch and a food truck. The students did not show up the way they should have, and the student section itself was quite empty. Milton actually had way more supporters than we did in their student section, which was embarrassing.”

Rowing into the roars

 The Head of the Charles (HOCR) attracts between 300,000 and 400,000 spectators each year, and its five-kilometer course runs past the Upper School boathouse. The school raced four boats — Women’s Alumni 8, Women’s U17 Four, Women’s Youth Four and Men’s Youth Four — on Oct. 19.

 Will Sammons ’27 coxed the Men’s boat with You-Yan Wang, Matthew Walsh, Lukas Wellesley (all ’26) and Quinn Conine ’27.

 The team needed Quinn — originally an alternate — when another team member couldn’t race.

 “We had an injury pretty early on in the season,” Quinn said. “So, it wasn’t a crazy thing, but it was definitely surprising because at the start of the season, I thought there was no way, like a 0.0 percent chance, that I would be in the boat.”

 HOCR attendees brought high energy, Will said.

 “It’s a pretty big deal because there’s so much going on, and it’s electric on the bridges, especially. There’s a lot of team spirit at the boathouse. I’ve been to the boathouse in years past for the Head of the Charles, and it was lively over there, and that’s what Homecoming’s all about.”

 Elizabeth Velander ’26 raced in the Women’s Youth Four.

 “The school social media has definitely been doing a good job of promoting the race,” she said. “They post the days coming up to a race on our Instagram and on the crew team’s accounts with videos and photos of us and try to get people excited. Because of it, a lot of my friends came to cheer me on. As you row past our boathouse, you can hear the volume increase. People get very passionate about being there, which is amazing to see.”