High school is all about the experiences and memories students make over the years, whether it is attending yearly dances, joining new groups or just meeting new people. Homecoming, often known as HOCO, is the first dance of the year and is a staple tradition at RM. Students celebrate school spirit the week leading up to the dance with spirit days and the annual Homecoming football game.
Some benefits of attending the Homecoming dance are spending the evening with friends, creating enduring memories with peers and socializing with the other students. A common Homecoming tradition is for students to go out for dinner first and then attend the dance at RM, either with friends or a date. However, many students like to mix it up and enjoy their Homecoming evening by hanging out with their friends at different places.
Tickets were $30 for this year’s masquerade-themed Homecoming dance, which took place on Oct. 5. There was a boisterous dance party with popular songs playing to sing and dance to, photo booths, flashing lights and fake fog. On the other side of the gym, pizza and water were being served.
Freshman Ariana Wahid attended the Homecoming dance and said that even though she went this year, she would go again, as Homecoming is quite a big deal in America. “Overall, things could have been done better as students spent 30 bucks on it and the decorations were quite simplistic,” she said. Wahid also hopes that future Homecomings will be better organized.
Some students say that Homecoming is just fun because it is who you spend it with and not the event. That is why many students spend Homecoming week participating in other activities.
Many students traveled longer distances to celebrate Homecoming this year. Junior Anya Kleinman visited Washington, D.C. with eight friends, where they dined at an Italian restaurant called Carmine. “We took photos, and then we had dinner and then we all went to hangout afterwards,” Kleinman said.
Kleinman also shared why she and her friends opted to go to Washington, D.C. instead of attending the dance at RM this year. “I think that the Homecoming dance, as much as I love and admire the efforts of the SGA, is not always the most engaging activity, and sometimes it can get kind of a little bit, it’s a little bit overpriced, which I get they can’t control,” Kleinman said.
Students also got creative with alternative Homecoming activities this year. Senior Kylen Tow shared that he went bowling with friends instead of attending the dance. “To be like, completely honest, I thought [the dance would] be a lot more fun and better vibes,” Tow said.
It was apparent that several upperclassmen chose to spend time somewhere else instead of the Homecoming dance because of their previous Homecoming experiences. “I went sophomore and freshman year, and I left early every time,” Kleinman said. Furthermore, Tow stated that he is more likely to remember the bowling experience over the Homecoming events from the past three years.
Freshman and class of ’28 president Isaac Fulton also celebrated Homecoming outside of RM in addition to attending the RM dance. “So I went out to dinner in Rio. I went to the Yard House, and then we also took pictures, because they have the boardwalk there. And then I did end up going to Homecoming for a little bit … But then after that, I just went over to a friend’s house,” Fulton said.
Despite not attending Homecoming for most of the night, Fulton still had a great time and found the evening more fulfilling with these additional elements. “Well, I just wanted to have a place to hang out with my friends and take pictures, because Homecoming is, like, a big thing with a lot of people,” Fulton said.
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