Millbrook’s 2025 Homecoming was a day of celebration and excitement as alumni returned to the home of the Wildcats. The Homecoming festivities started with a pep rally that brought the whole school together and ended with a spunky wild-west-themed dance in the gym.
The pep rally opened up with a performance from the Hispanic Culture Club, which highlighted the vibrancy of Latin America during Hispanic Heritage Month. Advisor of the club Profe Amaguayo shared, “We wanted to bring something that was slightly different than in the past, which are also incredible performances, but we wanted to show the rich diversity we have in culture and dances. This is why we opted for a modern Caribbean rhythm.”
Throughout the pep rally, there were performances from the African Student Association, the Wildcat Pride Dance Team, and the JV, varsity, and elite cheerleaders alongside the marching band.
Varsity cheerleader Caleigh Ziberna shared, “I think the pep rally is a super fun way to showcase the cheers and stunts we’ve been practicing and to interact with the student body. One of the cheers we performed we worked on all throughout summer workouts, so it was great to have our hard work pay off!”
A highlight of the pep rally was a relay race called between six sets of Millbrook twins. They had to complete silly tasks like hula-hooping, wadding with a balloon in between their legs, and leap frogging while carrying a box across the field as they switched off and raced to finish first.
Each year, students nominate teachers to participate in the Millbrook Homecoming tradition of kissing a goat. This year’s winners were Mr. Beller and Mr. Beckendorf who each had to kiss one of the animal science goats, Petunia!
Nearing the end of the pep rally, Millbrook staff members did a surprise line-dancing flashmob to the song “Boots on the Ground”. The pep rally ended with Coach Rise hyping up the crowd and welcoming the freshmen to their first Homecoming.
The homecoming football game against Leesville ended with a Millbrook shoutout. The game was scoreless for the first quarter, but the Wildcats were able to score 7 points in the second, 14 in the third, and finally 7 to end the game, with the team winning 28-0. Standout players were Brilison McCullers who rushed for 121 yards and received for 12, as well as Malachi Thomas and Malachi Gilchrist who received 108 and 107 yards respectively.
The halftime show was a celebration of school spirit as this year’s Homecoming Court took the field. Riley Morgan and Hank Ledford were crowned freshman royalty, while Jalyssa Walker and Carter McCulley took the sophomore titles. The juniors Mariah Ray and Bryson Gray took home the crowns. Finally, Abby Champlin and Malachi Gilchrist were named Queen and Mr. Millbrook, with Leah O’Neil and Micah Ferguson winning the title of Prince and Princess.
To end the night, Millbrook students headed to the small gym, which was transformed into a scene straight out of the Wild West. The dance’s rustic decor featured saloon doors for photo ops, twinkling string lights, and lots of cowboy hats. There was even a VIP section for the first few who purchased their tickets. Students danced and sang along to country and pop hits after a long day of celebration.
Student Body President Sadie Kelsey shared, “This was the most successful dance we’ve had in my time at Millbrook! We had a really good theme this year and I think that’s part of why people were interested in going to the Homecoming Dance. I think it being in the small gym rather than the cafeteria got a lot more people to come. It was a lot of work to put on all of the Homecoming events but seeing everyone having fun at the dance at the end of the night was so rewarding!”
Homecoming 2025’s pep rally, football game, and dance made for an exciting day of unity and Millbrook pride.
