Spartan Spirit will be on full display this week as S.S. Seward students and faculty, join with school alumni, the Florida business community and residents for the countdown leading up to Saturday’s (Sept. 30) annual Homecoming Parade.
After just a few weeks of preparation, the Senior, Junior, Sophomore and Freshman classes, as well as middle school students, will compete for the Spartan Spirit prize with various days of theme dress up, rehearsing their Homecoming Parade theme skit and decorating their parade car while still preparing for boys and girls varsity games on Friday and Saturday.
- Tuesday (9/26) JERSEY DAY: Wear your favorite sports team’s jersey
- Wednesday (9/27) BARBENHEIMER: Dress up as your favorite Barbie or Oppenheimer character
- Thursday (9/28) PAJAMA DAY: Wear your comfiest pajamas
- Friday (9/29) CLASS COLOR DAY: Freshmen – Red, Sophomores – Green, Juniors – Black, Seniors – Blue, 6th – Yellow 7th – Purple 8th – Orange
“It’s very important that middle schoolers are involved with our day-to-day activities,” said Seward Principal Michael Maesao, “In the high school, their dress up counts for Homecoming score. We really push as many people as possible to participate. It’s a special week for the entire building.”
Student Council President Stephanie Reicherter, whose many duty include helping to organize the Homecoming Dance and the pep rally and MC the event, said she is exciting about the week’s activities. “I’m really looking forward to them. I didn’t realize how much of a responsibility it is. But it will be fun.”
The Senior Class is looking to retain the Spirit Week title it won last year.
The weekend activities begin at the end of school day on Friday with a pep rally for middle and high school students. The Middle School Dance is at 6 p.m. on Saturday, followed by the High School Dance at 8 p.m. There are multiple weekend sports events:
- Friday at 6 p.m. Seward Girls Varsity Volleyball vs. Chapel Field at Seward.
- Friday at 7 p.m. Seward/Chester Varsity Football vs. Dover at Chester.
- Saturday at 1 p.m. Seward Girls Varsity Soccer vs. Tri-Valley at Seward.
- Saturday at 3 p.m. Seward Boys Varsity Soccer vs. Tri-Valley at Seward.
- On Saturday, the Homecoming Parade steps off at 9:30 a.m., and will feature each high school grade dressing themselves and a car that best represents this year’s theme, which is “Decades.” The Senior Class selected the 1950s, Junior Class the 1980s, Sophomore Class the 1990s and the Freshman Class selected the 2010s. The classes will also perform skits.
Senior Class Advisor Dom Pascullo said that the school and community are really working together to build the parade back up after the pandemic.
“We have the youth soccer league marching with us, the girls and boys scouts, and right before the soccer game there is the Seward Hall of Fame Induction at the soccer field. Trying to get past, present and future involved with our homecoming festivities.”
Student advisors for the other classes are Andrea Simulcik (Junior), Joseph Montemarno (Sophomore) and Lauren Weller, who is helping Brittany Smith, out of maternity leave, with the Freshmen.
2023 Seward Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees
- Christopher Raniere – Class of 2002, Swimmer
- Joe Yurchuk.- Class of 2002, 3 Sport Athlete (Soccer, Basketball and Baseball)
- Michael Barbariantz – Class of 2008, 3 Sport Athlete ( Soccer, Hockey and Baseball)
- Jennifer Guerra – Class of 2009, Soccer
- Dimitrios Moustakas – Class of 2009, Soccer
- Dan Chevrier – Class of 2009, 2 Sport Athlete (Soccer and Basketball)
- Nicholas Ullman – Class of 2009), 2 Sport Athlete (Soccer and Baseball)
- Maggie Paras – Class of 2014, 2 Sport Athlete (Soccer and Softball)
- Amanda Tantillo – Class of 2014, 2 Sport Athlete (Volleyball and Softball)