Roanoke Rapids Graded School District celebrated an exciting and spirited 2024 Homecoming Week. 

It was filled with events that both united our school community and served as reminders from our alumni that we are living our mission to build opportunities and foster community for our students. 

The week’s festivities at Roanoke Rapids High School kicked off with themed Spirit Days, in which students and staff showed their school pride with creative outfits each day and continued to the much-anticipated Powder Puff football game on Tuesday. 

In this lively tradition, the junior and senior girls took to the field, playing for bragging rights in a spirited match.

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Thursday brought the Pep Rally and Homecoming Float Parade, where students showcased their creativity and school spirit by designing vibrant floats that paraded down Hamilton Street, drawing cheers from all who joined us to watch. 

Every year the pep rally and parade set the tone for the grand event—our Homecoming football game on Friday night.

Prior to the game, the Roanoke Rapids High School Yellow Jacket Sports Club hosted their annual Homecoming Celebration and Fundraiser. They cooked and sold delicious Boston butts and barbeque sandwich meals at the Scout Hut before the game started.

Our Roanoke Rapids Yellow Jackets faced the Rocky Mount Gryphons under the lights of Hoyle Field. 

Despite a valiant effort, our Yellow Jackets were defeated 42-0, bringing the current season record to 5-3. 

Our football team played hard, demonstrated grit and resilience, and through it all maintained strong sportsmanship. We are thankful for our cheerleaders who bring their talent and joyful spirits to get our football team and our spectators pumped up and cheering.

Friday evening brought many special highlights. We were proud to join with the Roanoke Rapids High School Alumni and Friends and Roanoke Rapids Band Boosters as we honored over 150 past members of the Roanoke Rapids Marching Band. 

Prior to the game, they enjoyed connecting with each other, reminiscing about their high school marching band days, and fellowshipping during a delicious reception. After a brief rehearsal, they joined present band members in a powerful performance of the national anthem and school song (“Faithful and True Hearted”) before the game, celebrating the legacy and contributions of the band.

The halftime show featured the crowning of Homecoming royalty. The Roanoke Rapids High School Homecoming Court was announced with Trent Seldon named Homecoming King and Madison Jones named Homecoming Queen, adding a memorable moment to an already festive night. The student body celebrated their peers with loud applause and cheers.

Prior to the game, the first ever Roanoke Rapids Early College Homecoming Court was announced with Khamauri Wood named Homecoming King and Ahyanna Neville named Homecoming Queen.

Additionally, student Prajwala Peddireddy was awarded The Brightspeed Bright Futures $1,000 scholarship, recognizing her academic achievements and contributions to the school community. This scholarship is a partnership between Brightspeed and the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

The festivities continued with the Homecoming dance, held on Friday night and sponsored by the Roanoke Rapids High School Student Council, led by advisors Gary Edwards, Kelly Sparks, and Edward Gardner. The gym and cafeteria were festively decorated, and students enjoyed an evening of music, dancing, and celebration, capping off a week of school spirit and togetherness.

On a personal note, Homecoming is one of my favorite traditions here at Roanoke Rapids Graded School District. It absolutely makes my evening to see students that I have taught return. To learn about their wonderful accomplishments as adults as well as to meet their children reminds me (as well as the other RRGSD staff) about why our work matters so much. Students -- our current ones, our alumni, and our next ones -- are the reason we are here in RRGSD. We are so very proud of them and excited to catch up with them at times like these.

If you were able to attend the game, you probably saw me at the gate in my “jail and bail” outfit (I wore the black and white stripes this year). For the fourth year in a row, I’ve served my Project Graduation time during the football game. I am thankful to be able to support our seniors and their families as they work hard to make our seniors’ graduation night unforgettable.

Lastly, I was able to meet some other special alumni who graduated before I came to RRGSD in 2008. I appreciated the chance to get to know them better and learn more about their experiences in our school district. 

One of these was Mr. Richard Akers, Class of 1960, who came to take part in our alumni band celebration. Mr. Akers is the grandson of our first RRGSD superintendent, Mr. A.E. Akers, who began his superintendency here in 1908. 

I’m thankful that I’ve been blessed to get to know or work with six of the previous superintendents personally, but sometimes I wonder about the experiences of those who came before those I know. Meeting Mr. Akers provided me with such a great opportunity to do that as well as to thank one of our former superintendent’s families for their dedication to our school district too.

As you can see, Homecoming Week 2024 was a resounding success, filled with moments of pride, tradition, and fun for everyone involved. I hope that you will plan to join us next year as we continue this special tradition.