Homecoming Report Card

The good thing about Homecoming grades is that so many different Hilltop people are able to share their experiences and give anything from an A+ to an F.

Mathematically and qualitatively, it is a pretty balanced system since we hear a lot of different opinions. The following shows you our rationale in the grades we chose. We know the organizers can often get annoyed with the Hilltop, but we are after all, the "Student Voice." This Homecoming was rainy and had potential to be terrible, but we thought Howard pulled through despite the odds.

Mr. And Mrs. Howard Pageant: B+

The theme "Return to Royalty" was a nice spin on the pageant and judging since the judges had passed on their crowns. There were some discrepancies with the question and answer portion because we think picking questions at random is more fair. We did appreciate that the questions were thought provoking rather than being easy. The African garb was a nice touch too.

Gospel Concert: A+

Everyone's faces lit up when the concert was mentioned. The audience received Mary Mary, R.E.A.L. and the Gospel Choir with enthusiasm. The turnout and atmosphere was most enjoyable along with Mary Mary's personable performance. There were no real complaints for this event.

Poetry Show: B

Messiah and the Def Poets were entertaining to the Hilltoppers in attendance. The only gripe about the show was its lengthiness. Some noted the redundancy in some of the poems' messages and found it mundane at times. However, the show was pleasing overall.

Comedy Show: A

Nothing less than an A- was suggested individually by anyone. The consensus was the show was hilarious and comedians did a good job of holding everyone's attention. Knees were slapped and tears came out. The only thing that seemed odd was the "Cuttin' up" barbershop skit intro that was never re-visited in theshow. What was that about?

Fashion Shows: C

We understood that this year's show was supposed to be "straight runway," mirroring real high-fashion shows and focusing on clothes. However, most Howard students enjoy an entertaining show with choreography, music and hype crowds. This year's show was a lot more quiet and calm. The clothing did not seem that couture and the theme didn't grab us too much. We wanted to see sequences more clearly defined, with eveningwear, lingerie and casual. The models and their walks were on point, but we wanted more excitement.

Yardfest: B

None of us had seen that kind of freezing weather and rain during our Howard tenures. We were annoyed with umbrellas, but we felt happy about the turnout. This year's line up was much better than last, with Young Jeezy, Juelz Santana, Three 6 Mafia, Ghostface and many other acts. Cheers to Ravi for pulling strings and getting artists to perform for free. Things started a bit late and we know performers schedules can get hectic, so we can't place blame for the pauses and stalling in-between acts. By the way Luda, thanks for shouting us out and being a no-show this year. Real cool.

R&B Concert: A

Vivian Green fans were sad about her chicken pox, but thrilled to know Common would replace her. People who didn't get tickets were mad they didn't once Common was in the mix. He threw down on the stage, as usual and blended well with R&B, though he's a rapper. It was fun that he included Howard stuff in his rhymes because it showed he catered to his audience. Floetry performed a lot of new songs so the crowd wasn't as hype for them until they belted out their classics. Everyone loved the concert.

Homecoming Game/Parade: B+

Once again the rain was coming down but people still had good attitudes and school spirit at the game and in the parade. The Bison pulled it off and won against North Carolina A&T. The game was cool but the halftime show didn't have us as crunk as we thought. Where were the performers? It was nice to get a glimpse of Method Man, Larenz Tate and Tyson Beckford. As big as A&T's band is, we thought they would have everyone out of their seats. The alumni did a great job out on the field dancing and working it. Those watching the game on TV noted the bad camera angles and sound issues. Overall, the game was good.

Step Show: B+

This year it was evident that all Greek organizations really stepped it up and practice and worked hard. The routines were good, particularly for the sororities. We thought it might be good to announce the judging criteria, for audience members and participants. Personally, we thought Angie Ange and Byron Stewart would have made more exciting hosts. What was the Asian dragon theme about in the beginning? People got lost on that. We were happy the show did not run on too long. We thought everyone really put on a good show. Congratulations to the Deltas and Kappas.

Overall: B+

This Homecoming was surprisingly good, despite the weather setback. We enjoyed the events, and they seemed to be well thought out. Naturally, we had a few gripes but there is nothing we can really complain about. Almost all the grades from last year improved, so people have been doing their homework. You will hear from us again, same time, next year. Thanks to everyone for their efforts.