Student Homecoming Focuses on Inclusion

This year, Homecoming will bring together students, families, friends and the community to celebrate inclusion.

The Homecoming kick-off celebration will be at 4 p.m. Oct. 10 on the quad, complete with a cornhole tournament, free food and live music provided by American Basswood, Khan Queso, and Wobbly Goats. The rest of the week will be filled with events including Second City Improv All-Stars, Bulldog Scavenger Hunt, lipsync and skit, 5k, parade, pep rally and football game.

The theme of this year’s Homecoming is “The Bulldog Effect,” derived from the butterfly effect. At Truman, it is believed that small changes make a difference. This year’s theme was created to make Homecoming the most inclusive to date, changing from the traditional team structure to tiers of involvement. This year’s philanthropies – the I Think I Can Foundation and the Oasis Program through United Way – also support the idea of the Bulldog Effect.

The I Think I Can Foundation mission is to provide basic needs and opportunities to the children in the Kirksville R-III School District who otherwise cannot provide for themselves. The program allows students to bring home meals regardless the time of year. Over long school breaks, students are given a grocery store gift card so that no child will be hungry. The foundation has also given students the opportunity to purchase a book at book fairs and to pick out birthday treats from the school pantry to bring to their classmates.

The Oasis Program through United Way utilizes volunteers to read to children in addition to providing one-on-one help. Volunteers commit one hour of their week to students who need the extra help. Community members can volunteer to help students who are enrolled in the program. While it already exists in the Kirksville area, the Oasis Program is looking to expand to the rest of the Adair County school districts.

A list of student homecoming events can be found here.