Homecoming weekend at Guilford officially commenced on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. with a kickoff celebration in the alumni gym. The event engaged students of all years with interactive games and featured acts such as student singers and the CNC Step Team, setting the tone for the rest of homecoming and family weekend.

Kickoff attendees were split into teams according to a colored string they were given upon entering the gym. Students were then asked to organize themselves into groups according to their birth month. From there began a mass game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, where the winners of each birthday group battled each other until there was a sole winner.

After Rock, Paper, Scissors, two representatives from each color group took turns throwing a football through two hoops, attempting to get it through one of the individual hoops or the overlapping space between them. Transitioning from the game portion of the night, attendees were then taught the Quaker Shuffle and participated in a dance-off.

The night ended with first-year Tucker Gamble performing two songs on acoustic guitar, some student freestyling and the first performance of the year by CNC Step. The team showed the audience their dance moves and intricate tapping and clapping patterns.

“The event was interesting, but I really liked the step team,” first-year Morgan Yamashita said. “That was my absolute favorite part.”

Each day of homecoming week had a particular theme and accompanying events starting on Monday, Sept. 24. The first day was meme day and featured Trap Karaoke at the Community Center. Next came 2000s Tuesday with Trap ‘n Paint, also in the Community Center, and pop out Wednesday with a runway set up in Founders Lobby. Kickoff took place on denim Thursday, where Guilford students donned their best denim wear.

Kickoff was only the start of homecoming weekend, and there were many more events for the Guilford community to enjoy, including Friday’s Neck of the Woods Music Festival as well as Saturday’s Quaker Palooza football game and pajama jam.

“I thought kickoff was a lot of fun and really hype,” first-year Lucy Reardon said. “I’m looking forward to this weekend because I’m going to spend some time with my family and probably go to more of the events, like the pajama jam.”

Guilford students looked forward to a fun time at the scheduled events and getting visits from loved ones.

“My family’s coming up over the weekend and they’re bringing my dog so I’m excited,” Yamashita said.

The weekend also contained several events open to student families and alumni, picnics and a community brunch.

Coming to visit over the weekend gave families a chance to see the campus in action and to participate in fun and interactive events with their students.

“I think it’s good because of the variety of events they have going on,” first-year Katey Griswold said. “So, if you don’t like football there are festivals and different types of parties you can go to. I think overall the planning and execution of it was done well.”