By Anusha Trivedi

On Friday, November 5th, Notre Dame had its first Homecoming Game after coming back to school in person. There were two games played: dodgeball between the freshmen and sophomores and flag football between the juniors and seniors. Students were able to sign up to play, and had been practicing for several days leading up to the game. After school, the games commenced in Pardini Park as other Notre Dame students watched from the bleachers, cheering with pompoms of their class colors. In the end, the juniors won the flag football game, and the freshmen won the dodgeball game. There was also a food truck where people could buy snacks and stations where students could get their face painted in their class colors. The Notre Dame community was able to display their enthusiastic school spirit during the game.

The day after, Notre Dame held its 2021 Homecoming Dance, hosting almost 700 students. The theme of this dance was fall and the Disney movie “Tangled.” Students gathered in Pardini Park to dance to music that a DJ was playing as a disco ball lit up the dance floor. There was also a dessert bar serving items like mini cheesecakes, macarons, cookies, brownies, and more. At 3rd Street Cafe, there were two professional photo booths where students could take pictures with props and have them printed out on the spot. Additionally, students were invited to decorate lanterns, which is an activity that relates to the theme of the movie “Tangled.” Throughout the night, students from many different schools were able to enjoy Notre Dame’s first in-person Homecoming Dance in two years.