When the Mission Bay High School football team hosts Hilltop High School on Sept. 24 at 3 p.m., they will have an end zone section of nearly 300 alumni cheering them on. The fourth annual All Alumni Homecoming Celebration will be held in conjunction with the football game. “It really ends up being kind of a multi-generational school spirited atmosphere,” said Pam Deitz of the Mission Bay High School Alumni Association. “Everybody has a common bond with Mission Bay High School and it turns out to be just a really fun event.” The alumni association is hosting the Homecoming festivities, which include VIP tents, food, merchandise for sale and yearbook viewing with paid admission to see the Buccaneers take on the Lancers. Alumni are also treated to field seating in the north end zone. “It’s so fun to watch the game from the end zone,” Deitz said. “Everybody loves it.” Since it started as a non-profit organization in 2007, Deitz said the alumni association has grown significantly. Prior to 2007, no organization existed for the school. “It’s starting to really take up a life of its own,” Deitz said. “It has really grown by leaps and bounds every year.” In addition to helping Bucs of all ages network and reconnect, the alumni association has also given back to current students. Last year, the group painted a new logo mural on the front of the school and brought back the school’s Hall of Champions for athletics. “We’re trying to bring back a new sense of school spirit and create traditions on campus,” Deitz said. “It has already been so enthusiastically received that it has taken on unprecedented momentum.” This year, the organization does not have a specific project in mind, but Deitz said it will be academic related. “Right now with these budget cuts, we should focus on what we need to do to help the students at Mission Bay High School and promote academic excellence at the school,” Deitz said, “because that’s where the school is going to be taking some hard hits this year.” Outside of school grounds, the alumni association is currently working to create an alumni database dating back to the school’s inception in 1955. Alums can join the database by signing up for a free Buccaneer Membership on the alumni association’s website. “We just ask for their information and it’s a way to keep people informed,” Deitz said. “What makes this database is really what makes the alumni association valuable because we can help the classes for reunions.” As for the game itself, there is no question who the end zone section will be rooting for. That especially holds true for Deitz, a 1980 alum with two kids currently at the school. “Once a Buc always a Buc,” she said. Following the game, there will be a no-host mixer at RT’s Longboard Grill, 1466 Garnet Ave. For more information about Homecoming or the alumni association, visit www.missionbay-highalumni.com.