All week long Travelers Rest High School plunged into organized chaos as Devildogs were building floats, searching the school for the spirit rock, and preparing their lungs for the cheer-off. The spirit rock is a Travelers Rest tradition, where a piece from the old high school is repainted and hidden someplace on school grounds.  Each morning over the announcements, a clue is released to help the classes find the rock.  Day one starts off with a very vague clue and with every following day, another clue is given. Sophomores Hayden Barret and Chanlan Ann Kasa convinced the student body through word of mouth and social media  that they had found the rock.  But to the surprise of the entire school, the senior class discovered it for the very first time.   Beth Ann Townsend, a senior at Travelers Rest, found the rock under the couch in the front office on Tuesday of homecoming week. She said, “At first, I didn’t think I found it.  But when I opened the box, I freaked out.”

After the rock presentation, the classes prepared to cheer off for the spirit stick.  Each grade claimed a corner of the bleachers while a panel of judges, led by Devildog legend George Harrelson, points the stick at one of the classes and they have a short time to scream, cheer, and create as much noise as they humanly can to prove their class has the most spirit.  Every grade brought in pots, pans, whistles, buckets, and DIY noisemakers to aid their cause.  In years past, the spirit stick is won by the sophomore or junior class because they have enough experience to know the tricks to out-scream the other grades. Once again, the senior class shocked the school by advancing to the final cheer-off against the junior class, even though they didn’t have half as many people as the juniors did.  In their last homecoming ever, the class of 2017 screamed their hearts out in the final push to claim victory.

Before the football game, Travelers Rest crowned their new homecoming princesses, king, and queen.  Before homecoming, student council took student nominations for the court on September 1^st, 2^nd, 6^th, and 7^th.  Freshman Olivia Huskey, sophomore Alliah Woodard, and junior Peyton Nease claimed their first princess crowns in the crowning ceremony before kickoff Friday night.  Senior Kelsey White Kennedy was awarded her second princess crown in her final year as a Devildog.  The title of homecoming king was given to Bubba Philpot who said,  “It was an honor to be voted by my peers as homecoming king. I have so much love for my class, my school, and the community.” Kendall Silvers, the homecoming queen said, “It didn’t feel real.  I felt honored to win this crown; it’s a memory I’ll never forget.”

This past homecoming was a crucial week in Travelers Rest High School history.  TRHS Principal Lou Lavely said, “Everyone did a great job this year of balancing class competition and school spirit.”  The class interactions this year did not go unnoticed by students. Junior Aaron Krinkock even mentioned that “there was more unity this year than [his] freshman and sophomore year combined.  [He] was shocked.”