Homecoming next week at CHS

Grab your sunglasses, and roll out the red carpet. A Wildcat Hollywood is coming to town for homecoming Oct. 12-16.
“Homecoming, to the students means the opportunity to show their school spirit, participate in some friendly competitions and building camaraderie between classmates. Lip sync and class games can get very competitive, and it is fun to see the students getting involved who might otherwise not,” said Custer High School counselor and student council advisor Tiffany French.
The festivities kickoff Monday with the first dress up day. The theme is Walk of Fame, and students and staff are to dress up like a favorite movie character. Tuesday is Red Carpet day, where students will dress in old Hollywood fashion. Wednesday the dress up theme is Lights, Camera, Action or black-out and crew. Thursday is movie night, featuring cozy pajamas. Then, Friday students will be decked in purple and gold to show their school spirit.
Each day, students will also go head-to-head in a variety of competitions. Monday is tug-of-war, Tuesday is the star challenge, Wednesday is relay races and Thursday is a highly competitive game of musical chairs.
French said, “Students can earn points for their class by participating in dress up days (we award one point per student that dresses up in the for the day), from the class games (each game awards points based on grade placement at the end of the competition), lip sync and then their class float. Lip sync and the class floats have secret judges who choose the placement from first to sixth place.”
Coronation is Monday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. in the high school theater. This year’s senior court are queen candidates Jaelynn Arcuragi, Kylie Bradley, Debi Freeman, Rylan Lowe and Genevieve Poper and king candidates Lincoln Golder, David Lewis, Cohen Lykken, Koleden Niemann and Paul Warnke. There are no court members for freshmen, sophomores or juniors this year. The crown bearers are Faith Jones and Nathan Bell.
“We are doing a few new things with our royalty this year. On Tuesday during homecoming, the royalty will visit the Custer Care and Rehab, Custer Senior Center and Monument Health Assisted Living to visit the residents. The royalty will also eat lunch with our elementary students on Thursday. We are doing each of these activities to really put a focus on our students including all of our community,” said French.
The community is also invited to show their Wildcat pride by participating in several events. Businesses are encouraged to participate in dress up days and email photos to French at tiffany.french@k12.sd.us by 3 p.m. each day. Businesses can earn 10 points per same day photo and five points for late photos.
Businesses can also participate in the parade by filling out the Google form at forms.gle/tHmx9jmt93Haiww58 for an additional 10 points.
If that’s not your style, decorate your business windows and submit photos to French by 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11. Businesses participating will receive five points. The first place winner gets 20 points, the second place winner gets 15 points and the third place winner gets 10 points.
Finally, eight spots were available to participate in the first ever Masked Singer competition at the coronation, with an individual performing 30-40 seconds of a song from a famous movie soundtrack of choice. Businesses participating will receive five points. The first place winner gets 20 points, the second place winner gets 15 points and the third place winner gets 10 points.
“We are really just looking forward to seeing the community come together to share in our Homecoming 2026 festivities,” said French.
Community members are also encouraged to pack the stands at the Wildcats’ athletic events the week of homecoming. The volleyball team will face Mahpiya Luta Tuesday, Oct. 13, and St. Thomas More Thursday, Oct. 15. The cross country team is racing at Hart Ranch in Rapid City Thursday, Oct. 15 for the South Dakota High School Activities Association Region 5A Cross Country Meet. Finally, the football team will face the Hot Springs Bison on their home field Friday, Oct. 16.
“We encourage all fans to come out and support all activities during homecoming week. Dress in your best purple and gold and show your Wildcat spirit,” said French.
Friday, Oct. 16, will be packed with homecoming events, starting with the famous lip sync battle. The lip sync will be emceed by Golder, Jayse Noem and Bodie VanDerBoom, with Westin Buckland as the bodyguard.
Things kick off promptly at 9:30 a.m. in the theater. At 10:30 a.m., classes will  finish their float before lunch at 11 a.m.
At 12:30 p.m., fifth through 12th grade students will gather at the Custer Armory for the pep rally before being released for the parade line-up. The parade will start at 1:30 p.m., turning onto Mt. Rushmore Rd. at 8th Street and running to 4th Street before heading to Washington Street and back to the school.
School will be released at 2:30 p.m. until the Wildcats gather back at the football field for a halftime announcement of royalty and the lighting of the “C.”
The evening will conclude with a dance at the high school from 9-11 p.m.
“The homecoming dance will be free for students to attend thanks to the Custer Beacon for sponsoring DJ C-Lo (the DJ for the dance). Our student council identified that the cost to attend the dance in the past has been a reason for some students to choose not to come, and we wanted to make sure that was not a barrier. We are so grateful for the support from the Custer Beacon to make this happen,” said French.
So whether you participate in dress up days, cheer for the ’Cats at a game or come out to watch the parade, find a way to show your Wildcat pride.
“I would encourage community members to come out and support the Wildcats during homecoming and during all home events throughout the school year. Our school and our community are what keep the traditions and values of our Wildcats alive and well.
“Our students notice when our community is there supporting their events, and the same goes for the community noticing when the students are out in the community. Building a strong bond between our school and our community is a goal of our student council this year and for future years,” said French.