Many local high school traditions are set to be inaugurated this week, as Capital City High School celebrates its first homecoming week.
Monday night's face-off between the Capital City Cavaliers and Battle Spartans at Adkins Stadium was CCHS' first homecoming football game - and the premier of the school's fight song.
"We wanted to have an original fight song that had never been used before," CCHS band director Kevin Blair said of the song and the discussions with the school's administrators about how to develop it, starting last spring.
Blair said composers were commissioned to come up with ideas, and the piece played Monday night was originally-composed by J.R. Trimpe, who has also done work for Michigan State University's marching band.
"It has a very Big 10 sound to it," Blair described of CCHS' fight song.
Michael Brand, CCHS' choir director, wrote the lyrics, Blair said: "Fight! Capital City! Fight for victory! As we raise our colors high we sing our praise to thee! Fight! Capital City! We're loyal through and through Rally the cheers for the Cavaliers, the silver and the blue!"
While students may not immediately appreciate the gravity of the moment, "they're really buying into establishing a strong culture to start with" at CCHS, Blair said, adding students have put a lot of work into it.
"It's exciting to see more kids be able to participate," Jefferson City School District's Superintendent Larry Linthacum reflected on the moment of the first homecoming for CCHS, adding "there's energy here" at the stadium.
JC Schools' second high school hopes to capitalize on the energy of stars with a week of activities for the "Written in the Stars"-theme of homecoming and the homecoming dance Friday, said Tony Miriani, CCHS teacher and student council advisor.
A free outdoor concert at CCHS is planned for tonight - open to Capital City students, families and community members - where the Missouri-based Dawson Hollow will perform. Dawson Hollow is an indie-folk and rock band from the Ozark Mountains. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., with the performance set to start at 6:30 p.m.
A CCHS student trivia night is planned for 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday night, in the CCHS cafeteria.
"Student Sunrise" is planned for 6:30 a.m. Thursday morning, when "students are invited to the CCHS soccer field to watch the sunrise, enjoy donuts and hear a few motivational messages from their peers," according to a description shared by Miriani.
Friday's homecoming dance is set for 8-11 p.m. at the St. Martins Knights of Columbus Hall.
CCHS currently only has freshmen and sophomores, and so "CCHS will honor the tradition that homecoming court is reserved for the senior class, and therefore our first homecoming court will take place for the 2021-2022 school year," Miriani emailed.
CCHS opened in August, though construction on the second high school is not expected to be fully finished until December.
Adkins Stadium itself was complete for Monday night's homecoming game, including the field, scoreboard and press box, after months of scheduled renovations and upgrades, and unplanned repairs after May's tornado.
CCHS currently only has freshmen and JV football teams; sophomores play JV, CCHS' activities director Robert Ndessokia said.