Warrior Fest celebrates WCHS students

Cady Davis, News-Topic, Lenoir, N.C.
·3 min read

Sep. 13—GAMEWELL — High school homecoming is the tradition of welcoming both new and former students to celebrate school spirit and to create or reflect on good memories made at the school.

This Saturday, Sept. 17, West Caldwell High School (WCHS) invites the community to celebrate Warrior Fest Homecoming 2022 with students and faculty from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in front of the school.

"The purpose of Warrior Fest is to give space and a place for current, past, and future Warriors to enjoy the Warrior Family vibe and to celebrate us at our best, because we are the best," said Joshua Smith, an English teacher at WCHS.

Smith has coordinated WCHS Homecoming events for the last three years. Because of COVID-19 restrictions on social distancing, West Caldwell conducted a "reverse parade" the last two years where people could drive by Homecoming representatives who remained stationed in place to avoid close contact with others.

"The past few years we've had to social distance to celebrate Homecoming, and we want to be open to the community this year," Smith said. "Our hashtag this season is #OneCommunity. We've used #OneWarrior or #WarriorFamily for a while. Our theme this year is 'Follow your Arrow;' that's kind of the guiding thought process behind this."

For Homecoming this year, the high school wanted to do something more to welcome new students and honor current students and WCHS alumni.

"We decided to go bigger this year," said Smith. "It's something we wanted to do for a couple of years to maintain high energy and build our Warrior pride, the community we have, and the Warrior Family, and to be able to come together for Homecoming, because West is worth it."

Homecoming T-shirts will be on sale for $15 each, and Homecoming bracelets will be on sale for $1 each. A number of food trucks such as Perkz Cafe, Antojitos Mexicanos, and Carolina Coffee will be selling delicious food and beverages. Attendees can participate in carnival games such as face painting, balloon animals, a dunking booth, and more. Smith said that a number of administrators, coaches, and teachers have volunteered to be dunked.

Several local organizations and nonprofits in the community will be in attendance, such as Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute (CCC&TI), Gamewell Fire Department, Yokefellow of Caldwell County, Robin's Nest Children's Advocacy Center, Caldwell Friends, the Arts Council, and more. Additionally, officials from the National Parks Service and Turning Point USA will be there to give information to interested students.

Follow West Caldwell High School on Facebook or visit the West Caldwell High School webpage on www.caldwellschools.com to learn more. Warrior Fest is free and open to the public.

"Students are excited about it and excited to be getting back to normal, or at least feeling like they're back to normal," Smith said. "Homecoming is our kickoff event that will preclude Spirit Week and our pep rally. It's something to get the energy going, because we have to get students back there. Once they're given the ball, they'll take it and run with it."