Homecoming is one of those events that doesn’t need an assembly announcement to peak students’ interest or persuade them to attend. For almost 2 years COVID-19 has interfered with all forms of social engagements, leaving social events organized by the school completely out of the question. This long break from school functions was one of many reasons why the 2021 Homecoming dance received lots of commentary and unfortunately, the dance did not fulfill the majority of students’ expectations.
Wyatt Dayhoff ‘22 says, “I liked that we could have [the dance], but [this long period without dances caused] many students to go into the dance with high hopes.” Uma Bastodkar ‘25 recalls, “It was fun but I think I hyped it up too much in my mind, and when I got there, my expectations just crashed.”
Many students felt disappointed with the event as a whole. There was a consensus among students, however, that better music selections would improve the event as a whole. Mara Noel ‘24 says, “The music was lacking and it brought the whole event down.”
Not only was the music unsatisfactory, but students also note that the Homecoming dance felt disjointed and lacked a sense of general camaraderie. Noel continues, “Truthfully, even if the dance had included all the best songs to jump around to, the event lacked a togetherness.” Tess Dayhoff ‘25 reflects, “The dance was just clusters of students standing off together” and that “even the mosh pit consisted solely of certain groups of friends.”
Another common complaint from students was the time constraint of the event. In an email sent out to inform students about the dance, it was stated that students could only be dismissed at the very end of the dance — 10:00 p.m. — and no earlier. Because of these timing regulations, Vivien Pihlstrom ’25 was hesitant to attend the dance; ultimately she did go. Pihlstrom states, “It was like we were forced to be there. If I could leave [the dance at any point], it would be more fun, and I would’ve been more inclined to go.”
After over a year of not being able to have large social events with classmates, just being able to gather as a community is a privilege. For future school sponsored events, hopefully students will be willing to put forth their suggestions and collaborate with event planners to help create better school events that foster fun, camaraderie, and build school spirit.
