Lake Travis High School’s homecoming activities will reach a rousing finale with a Battle of the Bands and dance Saturday night at Lakeway Resort and Spa.

And, oh yes, there will be a Cavalier football game Friday night against Hendrickson.
That’s the message high school PTA officers were getting out as festivities were building up to the climatic weekend events.
PTA President Dee Ehlers said homecoming fosters school spirit in athletics, band, FFA and all other students groups.
“There’s a misconception that homecoming is about football. Homecoming also includes alumni and all the other sports and organizations. It’s more the celebration of the school and its tradition,” Ehlers said.
In good humor, she mentioned that mums might be involved, too.
“Mums are a pretty colorful tradition. Some of them are big enough to take up a young lady’s entire body,” Ehlers said.
One of the most visible signs of the community and school spirit blending together is the spectacle of the homecoming parade that was set for Wednesday.
Colorful parade floats were to break through the bleak gray skies and vie for the top prize and knock the high school FFA off its lofty perch.
A pep rally following the parade was set to introduce the homecoming court and energize the student body before a fireworks show that night.
On Friday, the Cavaliers will take on Hendrickson at 7:30 p.m. in a battle of the only remaining unbeaten teams in the district that could fire off some explosives of its own. For a full preview on the game, read Sports in the B section of today’s edition.
No matter the score at the end of the first half, the homecoming court will be on pins and needles as it awaits the announcement of the 2009 Homecoming King and Queen.
“The only person who knows is the principal, and she is keeping them under lock and key” until then, Ehlers said.
The 2009 Senior Princesses are Haley Aydam, Sidney Cauthorn, Kristen Reich, Morgan Salem and Valeria Font Zorrilla.
The 2009 Senior Princes are Garrett Bakke, Quinton Crow, Trevor Gillette, Mike Macintrye, Brian O’Connor, Jack Patton and Kevin Shoemaker.
More than 400 students cast electronic ballots for king and queen nominees, which is a higher tally than last year’s voting total, organizers said.
Junior Princess is Emily McDonald, and Junior Prince is Derek Moody. Sophomore Princess is Rachel Baird, and Sophomore Prince is Richie Boswell. Freshman Princess is Sherra Mershon, and Freshman Prince is Joey Snyder.
Lake Travis High School’s 2008 king, Chris Aydam, and queen, Elizabeth Conner, are scheduled to appear and will be recognized at halftime. Aydam is studying environmental engineering at Southern Methodist University, and Conner is majoring in business at Louisiana State University.
“Fall is always a fun time, especially with the weather changing. The football team is doing well and they’ll be able to get behind them,” said Lei Streuling, PTA vice president of student affairs.
Last year’s homecoming dance immediately followed the football game and was in the high school cafeteria. A turnout of about 100 students told organizers all they needed to know about what the students thought of that idea.
This year’s dance, set for 8 p.m.-midnight at Lakeway Resort and Spa, will feature a Battle of the Bands that pits Criminal Power, The Garrett Walker Project, Cole Burris, and unnamed group of four students against each other.
The bands will perform from 9-11 p.m. with a live DJ spinning music between their 15-minute sets.
“The excitement and the energy from the auditions were great. They have some pretty incredible musicians I don’t think people are aware of,” dance organizer Julie Sanchez said.
Students will be able to cast their votes for their favorite band. The first-place winner will nab some stellar prizes that include a professionally edited video of the first-place winner’s performance and a gig as the opener for a future headliner act at the resort.
To keep costs low, dress is casual, admission is $5 and refreshments are $1. Free neon necklaces will be given out for the first 100 students through the door.
“We’ll have a lot of good music. We think it will be a lot of fun for kids,” Sanchez said.
PTA organizers have made every effort to ramp up this year’s homecoming dance based on feedback from students through a survey. The Student Council has contributed its input as well to the PTA and the homecoming committee.
“We want this to be for the kids from the kids. We want it to look how they want it to look. It’s their school,” Streuling said. “PTA has worked with the Student Council and Principal Kim Brents to bring the students of Lake Travis High School a homecoming to remember. We hope that by combining the dance with a Battle of the Bands this year, that more students will participate and be able to enjoy a fun-filled competition along with a great dance. We’re excited to collaborate with these groups to make this year’s homecoming the best ever.”