Milken Celebrates Homecoming

Milken Celebrates Homecoming

The Milken community showed up to cheer on our Wildcats at the Homecoming game against Windward School on Thursday, October 26. Students got pumped up for the game earlier in the day at an all-school pep rally. Highlight video of the football team was shown, eliciting roars from the students, and the team was introduced to thunderous applause. Everyone left the pep rally with their school spirit running high and ready to root on our team.

The game this year was held at a new, larger venue, Pierce College. The mild evening made for a perfect night for fun, food, friends, and football.

There was a little something for everyone, with plenty of pregame activities to choose from. Carnival games, including a dunk tank, bowling, and sumo wrestling were all popular choices. The grills were smoking all night, delivering burgers, hot dogs, fries and more, while students were serving up sweet treats including cotton candy.

The evening featured great entertainment. Kol Echad performed the national anthem and “Hatikvah.” The high energy halftime show included performances by Milken’s Israeli Dance Team and the Milken Dance Team. A field goal kicking contest tested contestants kicking skills. As part of senior night, the eldest members of the team, Yoni Ben-Naim and Jordan Kalman, took the spotlight. The two seniors, who also are the captains of the team, were honored for their contributions to the team and their parents were recognized in a special ceremony at halftime. They were presented a framed photo of themselves in uniform.

On the field, the Milken Wildcats faced a fierce competitor in Windward, who scored quickly on a few turnovers and then some longer drives. The stands were filled with Milken fans decked out in Homecoming shirts supporting the Wildcats and cheering loudly from the stands.

In what looked inconceivable at first, in the 4th quarter, Ben-Naim, who had already scored one touchdown and seemed assured of a second one, stepped out of bounds on the one-yard line. His plan was to give fellow senior Kalman the opportunity to score his very first touchdown of his high school career in his last game. On the very next play, Kalman got the ball and sprinted up the middle for the touchdown. It was an amazing moment as the team celebrated.

“The coaching staff is extremely proud of how our young men played last night. Our players have always given great effort all season and have had a no-quit mentality. We have a young team and they have gained a lot of experience this season. We are looking forward to building on our success next year,” remarked Coach Elliott Turner.

The Wildcats played hard against a tough opponent, but in the end they could not overcome the deficit. Coach Turner expressed that there were some positive notes in the game. The team was aggressive on both offense and defense, there was a big improvement with the tackling and blocking, and the pass protection didn’t break down. He added that the team had a great time playing football in front of the Milken fans and loved their energy.

Despite the loss, it was a fun evening that brought together the Milken community to show their school spirit.

“After all the hard work that Student Government put into planning Homecoming, it was such a great moment to see it all come together. There were a lot of changes this year, from the location to the food, and I am so happy that it all paid off. I can honestly say that I think it was the most fun and exciting homecoming in my high school experience,” declared Student Body President Noah Cohen ’18.
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At Milken Community School, we think education is more than what you know. Our School, founded on Jewish values, is about who our children can become and how they can help others become who they might be. Because the world our children will create tomorrow is born in the School we build today, our mission is to educate our children so they can surpass us.
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