This year’s Cornhuskin’ brought about some new changes to the tradition, including different events and attempts to make Corn more accessible for all students. According to Meredith Recreational Association (MRA) Accessibility Coordinator Lizzy King, ’26, Cornhuskin’s accessibility plan included “the creation of sensory bags (ear plugs, fidgets), a visual schedule and maps of the area, and a climate controlled area in the event that the weather was too overstimulating for some individuals.” King also explained that there were more informational sessions for students to learn about Meredith’s unique tradition, whereas “in the past there was really only one,” which King states was aimed towards freshmen. Hogcallin’ and word parade were not included this year, but King explained that the class song was introduced as a replacement. The food trucks and barbecue held after the parade were new this year, as well. However, Hogcallin’ did still make an appearance during the open mic portion of the night, while students were waiting for results.
The senior Class of 2024’s theme was “AmeriCORN’s Got Talent.” Their skit also incorporated the infamous judges of the show commenting on what it will mean for the dance group “4ward Focus” to move on next year, as well as what that means for graduating seniors. Co-Chair Michaela Altman admitted that “there was not much of a ‘cool’ process behind choosing [their] theme this year.” Altman also said that they “almost went with ‘Dancing With the Seniors’ (spinoff of ‘Dancing With the Stars’) or ‘AmeriCORN Idol’ (spinoff of ‘American Idol’)” but found that there was not as much creative freedom. Altman stated that they “wanted something a bit more broad that could incorporate the unique talents of our entire class.” The Meredith community will miss their seniors after the conclusion of “Season 24,” but there’s still one semester left in their final year to experience and engage in upcoming traditions.
Class of 2025, this year’s winners, chose the theme “Bling It On.” Ella Cannon, Class of 2025 Cornhuskin’ co-chair, explains that “[the Class of 2025] also wanted to highlight it being [their] class’s year to get [their] onyx,” referring to the class rings that are also a part of Meredith’s traditions. Savannah Stainback, the other Class of 2025 Co-Chair, further elaborated that a group of students last year suggested a cheerleading theme, inspired by the 90’s cheerleading movie “Bring It On.” Stainback added that they were “heavily influenced by 90’s cheerleading” and the movie franchise, and that they “worked together and talked with [the group of students] and [Cannon] to really think about how [they] could make it work.” Their skit incorporated aspects of the movies, and their dances were inspired by cheerleading.
The Class of 2026 chose the theme “Lights, Camera, Halo!” The sophomores based their skit around the red carpet and an awards show, the Halo Awards, where they commented on the struggles of the sophomore slump and how to power through it to junior year.
The freshmen Class of 2027 took a different approach to writing their skit. In tandem with their theme being “Littles Shop of Horror,” they portrayed a Meredith student accidentally creating a carnivorous corn plant, voiced by Co-Chair Jada Dokes. The student continued to feed the plant Angels until her secret was revealed, where she then jumped into the corn rather than face the consequences. Elizabeth Daughety, the other Co-Chair, explained that they looked through domain free media to decide what theme they wanted to use, and “enjoyed the Little Shop of Horrors idea the most.” Daughety stated that “overall the original source material being fun and a comedy made every aspect of Corn enjoyable for everyone but also something interesting that wasn't really seen before!” The Class of 2027 also won Can Art this year.
This year’s Cornhuskin’ brought many creative and fun theme ideas to the forefront. All four classes created fun and interesting skits within their respective themes, as well as matching can arts and dance numbers. Themes allow students to band together under a common theme and celebrate Cornhuskin’ together as a class.
By Lola Mestas, Copy Editor