Mums are a well-loved tradition closely linked to Texas, but did you know they actually didn’t originate there? The tradition of homecoming mums began in Missouri in 1911 as a way to welcome alumni back to football games. They gained popularity in Texas after Baylor University hosted the state’s first homecoming in the 1930s, uniting mums as a major part of Texan culture. Originally, mums were a single white chrysanthemum with a few ribbons. After World War II, struggling florists began using artificial chrysanthemums to meet the high demand caused by rapid population growth. By the 1970s, mums became large and flashy, weighing up to 30 pounds in some cases! Today, mums represent friendship, love, and school spirit.
In previous years, students at GISD were not allowed to wear their homecoming mums to school. However, that changed this year when GHS Principal Mr. Anderson decided to allow students to wear their mums on campus, and it was a huge success! To celebrate, Mrs. Talbott, the GHS newspaper sponsor, organized a fun contest in her newspaper class. Students voted on mums in categories such as “flashiest” and “largest”. They also cast their votes for the best garter. Winners in each category received a special prize of two movie theater tickets with an included popcorn and soda for their outstanding spirit and creativity. These prizes were donated by Graham’s local movie theater, big thanks to them! The winners of this contest were Savannah Fricks for flashiest, Maddi Bishop for largest, and Mike Garcia for best garter.
