Most people remember what Homecoming was like when they were in high school. Embedded in as much tradition as pep rallies and proms, whole episodes of popular teen sitcoms are devoted to the big Homecoming game.

Whether you were one of the warriors on the football field, trying to win one for the school; a fan sitting on the bleachers, cheering till your voice went out; an excited student on Homecoming Court, about to step out on stage at halftime; or a kid who didn’t attend, because football celebrations weren’t your thing, Homecoming was part of your high school experience. It helped bring the school together to celebrate school spirit and foster a sense of belonging, if only for one night.

For college students it’s a little different.

While much of the college experience is similar to high school — there is the sports and homework — those fond memories we had as high schoolers are hard to replace. There’s no more gross lunch food that you secretly didn’t mind, no more social breaks at lockers between classes and no more prom, the so-called biggest night of your teenage life.

But just like the Homecoming tradition in high school, the UK Homecoming tradition is offered as the perfect opportunity for student to take advantage of creating and re-creating those memories of life as a student.

In what other facet of your life are you allowed to come together as a part of something bigger, a group you belong to, and have fun while showing your support?

Unless corporations begin hosting Homecomings for their employees, this will be your last chance to experience the tradition.

Homecoming in high school usually meant a pep rally in the gym, naming of a king and queen, a home football game and a semi-formal school dance. All this wrapped up in one neatly packaged celebratory day.

UK does Homecoming on a much larger scale.

Instead of the three pillars of celebration for a high school Homecoming —the rally, the game, the dance — UK offers a week-long celebration of UK tradition, UK athletics and UK students, with events geared towards entertaining students and giving back to the community that supports them.

While some tend to see the Homecoming tradition at UK as an event for the Greeks or other campus-involved organizations, Homecoming provides the entire UK community with an opportunity to celebrate.

The Homecoming week kicked off Saturday, helping to bring the community together by having different campus organizations painting UK-themed scenes on windows of UK buildings and local businesses.

Throughout the week, there will be events offered that other students can participate in, including Big Blue Impromptu on Wednesday, which consists of students providing entertainment and comedy, and a pep rally held in Memorial Coliseum on Friday night, with Coach Cal and Coach Brooks in attendance.

If you missed Big Blue Madness, this is the next best thing for a free event on campus to celebrate UK Athletics.

The weeklong celebration ends with the annual campus parade and the football game against Mississippi State.

Other events are less about the school and more about the surrounding community. Unlike the Homecoming in high school, which along with tradition and school spirit was about socializing with friends and finding an excuse to buy a dress, UK’s  Homecoming is about students giving back to Lexington.

On Monday, Canstructure will have teams building structures out of donated canned goods, which will then be passed along to God’s Pantry. Also on Tuesday, students will hold the Kitty Karnival for children in the Lexington community, providing them with fun games, food and toy giveaways.

With so much happening on campus on a regular  basis,  the events that are a part of Homecoming week might get lost in the crowd to the average UK student.

But for all of us, high school is over, and before long, college will be over too. Now is the time to take advantage of the college experiences before we graduate and forget about the importance of traditions and feelings of school spirt.

Megan Hurt is a journalism senior. Email mhurt@kykernel.com.