Charleston High School is gearing up for its homecoming festivities next week amid a month full of community activities.

The high school will compete this month with parades from the junior high school and the Jaycees organization for Halloween, as well as Eastern’s own homecoming parade.

Community members have begun to realize the high school’s festivities are often downplayed in Charleston media coverage and community involvement.

“I rarely see anything but a few local sports stories about the high school since I have been at Eastern,” said Julia Holecek, a foreign languages major. “Having a university in the towns proves to be too overshadowing for the high schools in the same areas.”

The annual homecoming parade is an event that focuses on uniting Charleston and spotlighting the high school’s students, said assistant principal Trevor Doughty.

“It’s only logical that we would have less attendance than EIU,” he said. “It is probably like that in Edwardsville, Champaign and Dekalb, too.”

Despite the obvious difference in community attendance on the parade route, students are thrilled to be participating.

The amount of floats and the effort involved has grown in Doughty’s 20 years at the high school.

“We have seen student involvement grow and grow,” he said. “We have student council and the Trojettes and many others.”

Doughty did not think students were motivated by Eastern’s community involvement.

“We don’t see this as a competition,” Doughty said. “But, I also don’t see EIU’s soccer team walking in the parade.”

Doughty said the high school parade encompasses every student activity and organization from athletics to the Thespian Club, which allows the students to stay involved and remain excited about homecoming for the weeks to come.

The high school works closely with the college to schedule events so the high-schoolers have their own time to celebrate and the community is not forced to choose.

“I really think that EIU and Charleston High School have a great relationship, and the students realize that EIU is a big thing around here,” he said. “They are excited to participate in the EIU events just as much as the rest of the community.”

Krystal Moya can be reached at 581-7945 or at ksmoya@eiu.edu.