Paden City High School will crown its Homecoming Queen at halftime of their football game against the Cameron Dragons this Friday night. The game begins at 7:30 p.m. Pictured is the 2010 Paden City High School Homecoming court. Front row from left: Gabi Cooper, sophomore princess; Mary Anderson, freshman princess; Cydney Blatt, seventh grade princess; Molly Ed, junior princess; and Megan Pierce, eighth grade princess. Back row from left: Senior Homecoming Queen candidates Katie Kline, Joni Myers, and Bethany Arnett. (Photo by Miranda Stokes)

The Paden City Alumni Association, the Wildcat Boosters and the Paden City Foundation are once again joining forces with Paden City schools in celebration of the annual Spirit Week with many activities scheduled for this week.

The annual celebration takes place each fall and culminates with the Homecoming parade, Booster Tailgate picnic, football game, and dance.

Observance of Spirit Week began in 1984.The week includes many events held at the high school with “spirited competition” between the classes with each class earning points for daily victories. In past years some of the contests have included male cheerleading, powder puff football games, locker decorating, class banner competitions, and other events held to boost the enthusiasm among the student body.The classes also enter floats in the Homecoming parade for judging. In holding with decades-long tradition, each class selects a Homecoming Princess to serve on the Homecoming court and three senior girls are nominated for Homecoming Queen. The entire student body votes on their favorite for queen and the coronation takes place during halftime ceremonies at the football game on Friday. The fun and enthusiasm in not limited to the high school as the elementary school annually participates in extras activities, as well.

Scheduled during the week is a complete slate of athletic events with the Wildcat volleyball team competing in home matches on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday in Bob Burton Gymnasium.The volleyball team is having a successful year and this is a great opportunity for many folks to see the team. The public is encouraged to watch the school marquee for announcements of all school events.

The entire community embraces Spirit Week and Homecoming activities and it is easy to see evidence of that spirit throughout the city.The Paden City Museum (a project of the Paden City Foundation) is festooned with the green and white and two special window displays were unveiled last week at the museum on Main Street. Also, a faithful Wildcat family has purchased new green and white pennants that were raised at Berger Field and new green and white flags that were placed on the utility poles by the dedicated crew of city employees along Fourth Avenue in front of the high school. They complement the green banners already on several poles in the same area. Also, on Main Street, more green and white flags were place on the utility poles and the “green and white” has been flying over Centennial Park since the start of football season.Several football parents and team supporters worked this past August at Berger Field and have repainted the scoreboard and made other improvements and refurbishments to bring back more Wildcat spirit.

The Wildcat Boosters are hard at work planning their annual extravaganza on the front lawn of the high school. The tailgate-style picnic will feature the usual fare and have something for everyone to eat as well as t-shirts and other giveaways.This event is held during Spirit Week to not only celebrate the athletics, but to highlight the school’s outstanding academic performance.

This is evident in the most recent WestTest2 scores.Once again, Paden City High School has scored well above county and state averages in areas tested by the stringent exam. As was the case in 2009, PCHS, as a percentage of students who attained a “level of proficiency” on tested areas, scored higher than all other high schools in Wetzel County. Their proficiency levels were also higher than schools in Marshall, Pleasants, and Wood counties.In fact, in the area of Reading/Language Arts, Paden City High School was the 11th ranked high school among all high schools, (regardlessof size) and 30th highest in Math in all West Virginia. Furthermore, Paden City Elementary was the second highest (proficiency achievement level) among all schools in Wetzel County on the 2010 WestTest2. The Wildcat Boosters hold this picnic celebration to recognize the importance of academics and the continued excellence the students of Paden City schools.

Spirit Week would not be complete with the annual Homecoming activities that are a long-standing tradition at most high schools. The events surrounding homecoming are organized by the Paden City Alumni Association and that group has been planning the evening’s events for several weeks.

The Homecoming parade will step off at 6 p.m. from St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and proceed north on Fourth Avenue to the front lawn of the high school. Any and all former members of the award-winning Paden City Wildcat Band are encouraged and invited to participate with the current Jr/Sr. High Wildcat Band and march in the parade.

The Alumni members may also wish to join the band on the front lawn of the school and in the bleachers to provide music and cheers for the football team during the game. Once the processional reaches the high school, the parade entrants will join in a rally and special ceremony on the front lawn before the game.The Homecoming court will then re-enter their cars and process to the north end of the football field for formal introductions upon entering the field via the track.

The Homecoming football game will pit the Wildcats against the Dragons of Cameron High School with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.The game will be aired lived on WXCR-FM 92.3 courtesy of the Paden City Foundation.The foundation annually sponsors this broadcast and will be airing a special 30-second advertisement all week on the station featuring one member of the football team. The Paden City Band Patrons will be manning the concession stand and be offering, as always, their famous hot dogs with the hot dog sauce that has been handed down for generations. At halftime of the football game, the Homecoming Court will take the field, center stage, and the 2010 Homecoming Queen will be crowned.In keeping with tradition, the Class of 2000 is invited back to participate in this ceremony and the 2009 queen will crown this year’s winner. The Homecoming dance is slated for Oct. 2 at the high school.

Members of all the organizing groups, students, faculty, and administrations at both Paden City schools are excited about the week’s events and invite and encourage everyone to be a part of this wonderful time for the schools and the town.One spokesperson commented, “In light of the events of the past year, this is the time to renew our commitment to the students, the schools, and the future of Paden City. These groups are working hard to make this week and school year a success and the students deserve to see a large crowd come out and support them and celebrate with them throughout the entire week.This type of event doesn’t happen just anywhere but it does happen here in Paden City.”