by Rachel Coleman SCCC
Seward County Community College will inject a fresh dose of Saints spirit into Homecoming Activities this year. Vice President of Student Affairs David Hardman is spearheading the project, which aims to reinvigorate Saints fans in the community and on campus itself.
“We want to invest in Saints spirit with a mixture of traditional and new tools,” said Hardman. “We’ve been focusing on enhancing the game day experience for our Saints fans, from the team profiles on the display board to our Saints Pep Band, halftime performances, and all the things people expect from college athletics.”
Homecoming Week will level up with even more special features. Hardman’s team has crafted a schedule with something for everyone. This year’s theme, Make Your Mark, focuses on legacy-building.
“That’s a way for our students to connect their experiences right now with how the college and the community are intertwined,” said Harding. “Or, like our tagline says, ‘Your future, our legacy.” With events for alumni from the classes of 2005 and 2015, Homecoming Week speaks to both past and future.
Working with the city of Liberal, SCCC will display Saints flags along Kansas Avenue downtown during Homecoming Week, Feb. 25 – March 1, 2025. Liberal’s Kiwanis Club has agreed to install and remove the flags, which feature Louie the Saint and the college’s tagline, “Your future, our legacy” and, in Spanish, “Tu future, nuestro legado.”
The community can get a close-up look at the flags during the first-ever SCCC Homecoming Parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 1. Several bands and community groups have already signed up for the parade, and participants can join by contacting Hardman’s administrative assistant at karla.morales@sccc.edu.
Other events planned for the week include programming for students — a hypnotist, a talent show, and a special speaker. The public is invited to attend, Hardman said.
“We’ll host Saints alumna Sheyvette Dinkens for a program open to the community, and have her on campus to meet with students, sign copies of her book, and share her experiences as a homegrown Liberal success story,” he said. Dinkens, an award-winning educator and community builder in Wyandotte County, Kansas City area, will share her thoughts on what it means to build a legacy as an individual.
Dinkens is not the only alum returning to campus. Events are planned for the classes of 2015 and 2005, and new members will be added to the Athletics Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place Saturday between the women’s game at 2 p.m. and the men’s game at 4:30 p.m. Homecoming Royalty will be crowned at halftime of the men’s game.
The Homecoming planning committee hopes the week’s events will appeal to current students, former students, and Saints fans in the community. Several socials and meet-and-greet events are scheduled through the weekend, including an off-campus alumni social at Tortuga Brewery at 7 p.m. Saturday.
SCCC is an important part of the community, Hardman said, and Homecoming is the perfect time to honor those connections past and present.
“We’re excited to mark the college’s 55th Homecoming, and invite the community to join us.”
