By Rene David Basulto - Monsignor Edward Pace HS
Photographer: Rene D. Basulto
The Pace Starlettes dance team performs during the Homecoming Pep Rally in the Pace gym Nov. 6 as part of Monsignor Pace High School's 2014 Homecoming Week.
MIAMI GARDENS | Msgr. Edward Pace High Schoolwent “Around the World in 7 Days” for its 2014 Homecoming Week. This year’s theme had each grade representing a continent, with the freshmen representing North America, the sophomores Africa, the juniors Asia, and the seniors Europe.
Students and staff dressed during the week in themes such as Tacky Tourists and Twin Day. The Brain Bowl academic competition Nov. 3 and the Powder Puff football game and cheer Nov. 4 were also favorites. New this year was the International Food Festival, where Pace clubs created and presented dishes from around the world to be tasted and scored by judges. In the end, the Pace Starlettes won first place for their Los Angeles-styled sweets.
Nov. 6 marked the beginning of the busiest time of Homecoming Week with a massive homecoming pep rally in the evening open to students, parents, and alumni. Elaborate cheers and dances based around each class’ continent framed the presentations of the homecoming princes and princesses as well as the Spartans varsity football team.
The following day, students enjoyed the annual volleyball games between classes, which featured intensely close games for third place and the championship. After the games finished, students went from the gym into the plaza for the annual homecoming carnival, where clubs and student organizations sold food and offered a diverse array of activities such as rock-climbing and pie-throwing.
The week’s centerpiece was the homecoming football game where the Pace Spartans played the Belen Jesuit Wolverines. Throughout the game, Pace alumni reconnected and dined at the Homecoming Alumni Bash and Tailgate Tent located next to the football field. During halftime, classes showed off their floats in the homecoming parade and seniors Sage Lewis and Lena Amazan were crowned Homecoming King and Queen.
Pace also inducted three new members into its Hall of Fame: Sister Marilyn Trowbridge (class of 1966); prominent South Florida attorney Jorge Luis Lopez (class of 1979); and former NFL player and current philanthropist Ray Shipman (class of 2008).
Pace’s Homecoming Week 2014 concluded with the Homecoming International Dance Fest, held at the Kovens Conference Center on FIU's Biscayne Bay Campus. At the dance, the Spirit Cup was given to the senior class for earning the most points across Homecoming Week. The victory was a tad bittersweet since it was their final homecoming week, but the week’s memories for them and the rest of the Pace community will surely stay for years to come.
