Home-mumming

Designers go all-out for homecoming with mums

Floral design student Mayson Goodwin laughs and makes homecoming mums for the upcoming game. They made the mums to keep or donate to fellow classmates.

Emily Krupa

Floral design student Mayson Goodwin laughs and makes homecoming mums for the upcoming game. They made the mums to keep or donate to fellow classmates.

Giavanna Herrera and Emily Krupa

Texas homecoming has become synonymous with mums-wearing. Homecoming mums have become a staple tradition for high schools all across the state.

The homecoming mum tradition started in the 1930s, and earlier mums were simple: chrysanthemums decorated with ribbons. By the 1970s though, homecoming mums became larger and more elaborate with artificial flowers, lights, glitter, ribbons – all the bells and whistles, literally.

The students of the floral design program, as well as the FACS program, helped make the mums for their fellow classmates. Lauren Dowlearn, the head of floral design, oversees the process of mum-making in her program of more than 200 students. 

 The students said that favorite part about the mums was “the process” of seeing it all come together. Materials such as ribbons, chrysanthemum flowers and stickers are used to make the mums.

“It takes a lot of staples,” senior Kayla Villalobos said.

The homecoming football game against El Paso Eastwood is tonight at 7 so mums and navy gear are a must.