The wait is finally over. Homecoming week is finally here.

It’s the week to pamper your crusty one month outgrown acrylics, wax off that seemingly noticeable unibrow, attend to your skincare needs, and whatever else you need to do to prep yourself.

Within the last couple of weeks, many girls have experienced some top notch yet very awkward HOCO proposals. Let’s face it, homecoming proposals are always awkward. Think about it, you open your front door to see some teenage boy holding a poster your best friend definitely made while he awkwardly stands there and either stays silent or mumbles the words, “Will you go to HOCO with me?” Once that is over, you go in for a weak side hug due to the poster preventing you from giving the boy a full hug.

No matter how awkward HOCO proposals may be, it is always exciting to either be asked or see what creative idea your date—or best friend—decided to come up with. Keep reading below to see the HOCO proposals from all grade levels this year…

Let’s start off with the freshmen proposals. Finding a homecoming date freshmen year must be the most stressful thing ever, but not for Brigid LeVecke ’26. Brigid and her date stunned the freshmen class with a creative HOCO poster about the new Elvis Presley movie starring Hollywood’s heartthrob, Austin Butler. Brigid shared, “You know, my HOCO proposal was not bad whatsoever. I loved the poster and everything, except for the fact it happened at my grandparents’ house. Not saying I was embarrassed to be asked in front of a bunch of family members, but a simple ask at my own house would’ve been nice too.”

To top things off, Brigid’s cousin, Addison Hansen ’26, was also asked to homecoming, but instead of being asked with a poster, her date decided to write his proposal on a soccer ball.

These freshmen really blew everyone away with their creativity.

Next, let’s take a look at one of the sophomore proposals. Now, what do most girls love most? The correct answer—food. This Wing Stop inspired poster left Jaelyn Tran ’25 in awe when her date, Aidan Sullivan ’25, asked her using her favorite fast food place. Using your date’s favorite fast food place for a HOCO proposal is always a great idea.

The juniors sure had tons of great posters within their grade level… Lily Curtis ’24 had quite the experience when she was asked: “I vividly remember walking out of cheer practice, sweaty and feeling gross. According to the video I later looked at, he was standing in the parking lot with the sign, but I had no idea. I even took my BeReal and didn’t even notice him still. All my friends were laughing, and then I finally saw him standing across the lot with a poster and my all time favorite candy, Nerd Clusters.” Smart kid to incorporate her favorite candy within the proposal. You can’t pass up on a free bag of Nerd Clusters.

Next up is miss Ava Fishman ’24. If you know Ava well, you would know she is the biggest Belieber out there. Her date, Servite junior Nicholas Cwiertny, knew exactly how to capture Ava’s attention with a stunning poster based on the Biebs himself. Ava shared, “He did in fact ask me after my tennis practice. Good thing my tennis practice outfit was kind of cute. Anyways, I love anything that has to do with Justin Bieber, so of course, I enjoyed the poster.”

Finally, we have our senior proposals. Let’s first take a look at Megan Mendonca ’23 and her date Jack Boschetti ’23 proposal. Jack really outdid himself with Megan’s poster this year. You might be thinking it was just a simple reference to her favorite TV show, movie, song, but nope— it’s Lululemon. That’s right. Megan was asked with a Lululemon themed poster. Megan’s homecoming date, Jack, shared, “I’m actually really proud of myself on this one. Not only did I make the poster myself, which I take a lot of pride in, but I feel like I nailed the creative aspect of it. I mean what girl wouldn’t like a lululemon poster.”

For our final proposal, let’s switch it up just a bit. Who says it is only the boys that have to step up and take the initiative to ask someone else to homecoming? Us girls are totally capable of doing it, and Justine Avalos ’23 proved this exactly by asking her date Micheal Hennigar ’23. Justine shared, “I was not nervous whatsoever to ask Micheal. After all, we have been dating for almost three years. Asking him was a breeze. But also, I am so proud of the poster. I added pictures all over the board and really took my time with it, and based off his expression, I’m assuming he loved it.”

Ladies, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. If you want to ask someone, go ahead. It’s all about getting into the homecoming spirit.

Tomorrow is finally the day. Homecoming is here. Don’t forget to make the most of it, and enjoy this time with your friends.