This past Saturday, with the arrival of the homecoming dance, the gym was packed with high spirits, blaring music, roaring thumps of feet on the floor, and a bright atmosphere.  Although the night began with a moody rainstorm that tried to drown out the avid attendees, hundreds of students poured into the gym, each with different mental pictures awaiting to be fulfilled. With eagerness in their eyes, a few high school students shared their thoughts on the annual festivities.

For senior and “Hoco” court candidate Riley Logan, the dance was just another thing to check off of the senior checklist. “I’m a senior, and I simply want to do all the stuff there is to do,” she said.  

After two missed years of the Homecoming experience due to COVID-19 regulations, it’s likely that most seniors share this same opinion, wanting to make up for lost years.

 For others, the dance is an outlet of entertainment and a new spectacle waiting to be brought to life. “I’m here to have fun, to see what it’s like,” freshman Logan Commale said, as DJ beats blasted in the background. His head turned and listened to the roaring crowd. Commale said he came for the party but also for the opportunity to “meet new people.” 

Sharing another perspective was senior and homecoming court member Duante Bell. “It’s the culmination of school spirit, having fun, and celebrating a new start to the school year,” he said,  however, this is just his definition of our school dance.

He continued in deep thought, “What does homecoming mean to anybody? It’s just a dance.”  It’s the definition you give to it that matters, he reiterated.

Now, while these opinions may be from a varying range of age groups, they all speak to a central idea. Homecoming is a place for students to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in their lives, a time where bonds are strengthened and formed. The weather could’ve dampened spirits, but it was the flood of memories made that will not be long forgotten.