The perfect dress is hard enough to find. The one that not everybody has, but isn’t too “out there”. The one that is not provocative but still makes you feel pretty. The one that matches the comfortable, but not boring heels, that are too painful to walk on. And all these requirements are just for the dress.
The dress is just one of a thousand decisions that have to be made for homecoming and we jump through hoops trying to choose the best ones. We deepdive search through websites for affordable dresses. We scrounge for places for spray tans that won’t make us look orange, and we desperately make sure that we have a place to go for before pictures.
We put in so much effort to look and feel our best for homecoming, and yet, in reality, we spend less than 30 minutes there. Let’s face it. Why would anyone want to stay? All we do is awkwardly stand there and listen to poorly made mash-ups. I could easily enjoy my Saturday night doing what I always do: hanging out with my friends in my crewneck and sweats eating fast food. Yet on homecoming, I’m choosing to suffocate in a crowded gym in a dress that is practically cutting off my circulation. So, what can we do to make it better?
The main problem with this question is that I know I’m not the first to ask it. For years, students have said the homecoming dance is a waste of time and is merely a required stop for the rest of the night. Yet where is Student Body or Administration trying to make a change? Don’t they want us to stay? Don’t they want us to enjoy it? The most successful homecoming this school has had was when change was required.
In the Fall of 2021, COVID-19’s social distancing rules did not allow the gym to be used for the dance. However, we could be outside. This led to Homecoming on the back turf. The back turf was not only big enough, but completely safe. The field was completely enclosed and able to fit portable lights. The best part though was that everyone was able to enjoy themselves. People who wanted to dance or listen to music had a perfect space next to the DJ while people who just wanted to talk and take pictures could spread out. This solved two of the most common problems at our typical homecoming: the horrid BHS lighting and the photo-ruining cameos of strangers in the background. Everyone loved homecoming outside. Just this one change made students want to stay. However, when the next year came around and students asked for homecoming to be outside again, there were only crickets. The students felt entirely ignored and it showed in 2022 when only an hour into the dance, the gym was practically empty.
Students want to care about homecoming. We show up hoping that it won’t be as disappointing as the year before, yet still we always leave with that pointless feeling. If the BHS administrators don’t put in more effort by at least just hearing the students out, I fear that in a few years, the student body won’t even show up.
