Jan 8, 2004

Volunteer of the Week: Sandra Delvin

By Miranda Schultz
Staff Writer

Remember your high school homecoming? Remember the theme, the football game the night before, and the spirit rally before that? Well, contrary to what teenagers might think homecoming consists of, the fact is, more behind-the-scenes work goes into the event than you might think.

Our volunteer of the week is Sandra Delvin, second-year chairwoman of the Leland High School’s Homecoming Committee. Along with the help of her daughter, four-year varsity cheerleader Alexandra Froelich, and the rest of the spirit committee, Delvin was responsible for everything from the budget and schedule to the overall communication and planning of the dance, the rally, the homecoming royalty, the parade, and everything else it takes to make a memorable event.

“It takes a lot more work than people think. I couldn’t have done it without the support and effort of the members of the committee. Alexandra acted as assistant to me and she was my eyes and ears at school.”

When asked to estimate the hours she and others spent working on the project, Delvin let out a laugh and admitted, “We begin working on it in May, before school is out and we work throughout the summer. I really can’t say how many hours.”

Homecoming is not just a dance or a football game. It’s decorating, finding donors, finding convertibles (even with the threat of rain), selling tickets, making posters (and don’t forget that pesky glitter), not to mention encouraging, supporting, advising and organizing. When you think about the behind-the-scenes fiasco it must be, you really begin to appreciate the task force behind the floats and fire trucks.

Every year, the spirit squad organizes and plans all of the events during the week of homecoming to raise money to defray the costs of their travel and entry into the National Cheerleading Competition. Last year, the girls won the competition and they will be defending their title in Anaheim in March.

“The best thing is to see the girls smile, to see them achieving their goals and executing a plan of attack. To see the looks on the student’s and parent’s faces is so rewarding,” says Delvin.

She admits it was a challenge this year, as there were no returning committee members and a new assistant principal of student activities. Even so, the fact that Delvin runs the event like a business, keeping precise notes and following specific plans of attack made it run much more smoothly.

“I’ve done it for two years now and it’s worked for me. We make mistakes, of course, but by keeping notes and knowing what happened last year, we don’t make the same mistakes.”

Delvin will be forfeiting her duties as chair next year, as Froelich will have graduated, but she promises, “Of course I’ll be available to help next year’s chair.”