Freedom High School’s Falcons were flying high on Homecoming pride last week as they prepared to face off against the Deer Valley Wolverines. While most schools spend their rallies inventing clever chants to intimidate their Homecoming opponents, Freedom’s Homecoming was a celebration of school spirit – not an animosity generator.

Even the Homecoming Parade floats were about showcasing student creativity rather than cooking up Wolverine stew or other Deer Valley drivel. This year’s theme was vacation destinations, and during the rally each class tried to woo the judges with their traveler’s guide to locations such as Hawaii and New York.

The freshmen partnered with King and Queen nominees Jake Burton and Emma Molenhauer to welcome the judges to the jungle with a visit to Kenya. Burton and Molenhauer danced to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” while the freshmen served as backup dancers in a wacky and wild showcase.

Marqueise Williams and Aubrey Ocampo were supported by the sophomores in their Hollywood skit, in which Williams and Ocampo went scouting for celebrities, culminating their adventure with a dance-off.

C.T. McGhee and Jessica Jones hula danced with the juniors to suggest the judges take a trip to tropical Hawaii, while the seniors teamed up with Mathew McKeen and Tariah Cheney to perform their own rendition of “Glee,” singing and dancing all over New York City.

With the support of the faculty, David Ternes and Kirsten Hulsey rounded out the skits as they toured San Francisco in a sketch that included an escape from Alcatraz, a mob of Pier 39 seals, a tie-dyed group of hippies and a gaggle of unique characters fishing near the Golden Gate Bridge.

Once the fun was over and the music stopped, the tension in the Falcon gym was magnified by the silence as students and families waited for the announcement of Homecoming King and Queen. Williams, a basketball player who is also involved in school leadership and drama club, was named King, and Molenhauer, a varsity tennis player and vice president of the class of 2011, was crowned Queen.

“When Principal Faulkner called my name, I was in complete shock,” Molenhauer said. “I thought, ‘No way!’ I’m really grateful for the freshmen’s help. I absolutely adore them for all the effort they put into the Kenya skit.

“I still can’t believe it happened. Being in the parade was so much fun. I felt just like a princess, just like the ones you see in the Disneyland parades. It was an amazing feeling.”

Although the Falcons were pumped up and ready to boost their Bay Valley Athletic League standings to 2-0, the Deer Valley Wolverines bested Freedom 28-25.

Oakley Mayor Pat Anderson applauded the students’ Homecoming celebration at Tuesday’s council meeting as a wonderful Oakley tradition: “Good evening, tough game, great kids – I love that school.”