This year’s theme was “Board Games” and each class chose one to highlight with help from teachers and staff in the building process. New this year was a float representing the Noli Booster Club where parents and staff came together on the campus courtyard to decorate their entry that featured the game of checkers. Black and red are also Noli’s school colors so it was very apropos.

Students took turns working on their floats during free periods, nutrition and lunch breaks and some even stayed after school to make sure they met the deadline of 5 p.m. on game day. An added incentive was the fact that a class party would be awarded to the top float, courtesy of the school’s staff members.

The sixth graders of the Class of 2030 chose Scrabble as their board game and created oversized squares with words that meant something to the students. Seventh grade combined the time of year with their game choice of “Operation” as a scary ghoul and lots of red paint depicted a bloody scene. The float created by eighth grade students was chess.

Freshmen selected Monopoly, or rather “Soboba-opoly,” for their game design and with the help of science teacher Jay Dagostino built oversized hotels and houses as well as the familiar Community Chest. There was even a mini jail constructed above the oversized “Go to Jail” spot that was recreated for the float. Jumanji was the chosen theme for sophomores who carried the jungle theme to the truck bed of the vehicle that was towing the float.

Juniors took on The Class of 2025, The Game of Life for their design with each car game piece cutout named for the students. With help from math teacher Kekai Bryant-Williams, Spanish teacher Andrea Duran and AVID tutor Alena Duenas, the group got very creative with their twist on the game. Duenas is also a 2022 graduate of Noli Indian School and helped the students think about careers and other future goals to add to the game spots that wrapped around the entire trailer.

The Class of 2024 created a colorful rendition of Candyland, renamed Seniorland, which was very fitting as candy is thrown out to spectators along the parade route as the floats make their way up Castile Canyon Road to The Oaks football stadium. Students from each class ride on the trailer that their float was built upon and get applauded and cheered on by all the residents who watch them ride by.

Camille Diaz was this year’s Grand Marshal. She has worked as Noli’s school nurse for about eight years and said she was “very honored to have been chosen” and said her role was going to be easy: wave and pass out candy from her seat in the back of her son’s pickup truck.

The top three floats were named at the football game’s halftime event. First place was awarded to 11th grade for Life, second place was 10th grade for Jumanji and third place was 6th grade for Scrabble.

Another highlight of the halftime break was the introduction of the Homecoming Court and naming of the Senior King and Queen which were Anthony Salgado and Luisa Rivera. Other royals who took the field to be applauded were Freshman Sweetheart Girl Nevaeh Ochoa and Freshman Sweetheart Boy Kevin Venegas, who was also the starting quarterback of the game. Also honored were Sophomore Duchess Shawna Rivera and Sophomore Duke Ronald Morillo and Junior Princess Arionna Ward and Junior Prince Daigan Cyhan. Senior Queen nominees were Jasmine Lemas and Nataly Lemas and Matthew Torres was a Senior King nominee. All members of the court campaigned for votes during Homecoming Float Week.

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It took weeks of designing and planning for the final display of floats to be ready for the Noli Indian School Homecoming Parade on Nov. 1. Grades six through 12 each made a float to match this year’s fairy tale theme. The Soboba Tribal Preschool joined in with their own interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood.

“Our parent committee did everything,” Preschool director Dianne King said. “They even made their own Instagram page for this.”

One of the parents made 3D flowers and a grandmother to one of the students made and donated balloon “trees” to replicate the forest from the story. Stephanie Guacheno has been on the committee for the past eight years, since her first child attended the school.

“The kids had a lot of fun and riding on the float gives them all a chance to dress up and give away the little candy bags they made,” she said.

The parade left the school’s Soboba Reservation parking lot and traveled about two miles up Castile Canyon Road to get to The Oaks football field before the 6:30 p.m. game started. It took about 30 minutes for all the floats to arrive as they stopped along the way so students could toss candy to residents, friends and family members who were parked or seated along the parade route.

Class floats depicted some Disney classics such Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin among other creative entries. First place prize for best float went to the Class of 2026 (sixth grade) for their retelling of Coco, a movie with a Day of the Dead storyline. Second place was awarded to the eighth-grade class of 2024 for its fantastic duplication of the pirate ship from Peter Pan.

The cheer squad, which placed third, played up Alice in Wonderland with sophomore Thalia Morreo in a blue dress and white apron as the young Alice. The team’s coach, Bridget Lowe, also teaches math to high school students at Noli. The 16 cheerleaders got to be on one of the first floats in the parade because the girls had to get for the game.

Following the school safety staff and its recreation of characters from Maleficent were Grand Marshals Antonia Venegas and Louis Rivera. Voted by the student body, Venegas said she was honored to be chosen. She’s been on the Noli school board for four years and is currently serving as president. She regularly helps the students with food fundraisers.

“It’s great to be here – football’s my thing,” she said. “I have brothers, cousins and other relatives on the team.”

After all the floats were parked at The Oaks, students began tearing them down.

“It’s a tradition,” senior Timothy Salgado said. “We take them all apart and those that put in a lot of work take some of the pieces home. The little kids get pumped that they get to take some things, too. It’s very exciting for everyone.”

The football game was dominated by the Noli Braves as they defeated the rival team from Indio’s Riverside Education Academy Tigers. The final score was 58-16. Coach Robert Stover and Assistant Coach Jesse Aguilar said the team has been strong all season long and were glad the players could keep up the momentum through this important game.

Halftime was all about royalty as the Homecoming Court was introduced and the King and Queen were chosen. Lowe took over the microphone from the play-by-play announcer to welcome the court to the 50-yard line.

Freshman Class Sweethearts were Sica Rivera and John Briones III, both Soboba tribal members. Sophomore Class Duchess was Caitlyn Briones (Cahuilla) and Duke was Edwin Muro (Soboba). Junior Class Princess was Shania House (Navajo) and Prince was Jerome Salgado III (Cahuilla).

Senior Class Queen nominees were Bailee Lindsey (Soboba), Monique Arres (Soboba), Shalea Luna (Pala) and Tishmal Herrera (La Jolla). Tishmal, who is on the cheer squad, was crowned queen.

Senior Class King nominees were Jarred Briones (Soboba), Anthony Chapparosa (Los Coyotes) and Shaun Molina (Soboba). Jarred, who plays with jersey No. 15 on the Braves football team, was crowned king.

A dance afterwards at the Old Tribal Hall was a celebration of a great game, a coming together of the school’s alumni and a chance to have fun with friends and family.

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