In high school, there are many unique experiences you have the opportunity to participate in whether it be chanting with the student section at football games or dances like Homecoming, Sweetheart and Prom. With HoCo coming up on Oct. 25, it is important to be prepared for all of the fun and stressful times.
To start, it is vital to plan ahead for anything and everything. Homecoming is a time for you to dress up nice, and the busy season causes dresses and suits to sell out fast. Even if you think you will be able to get a cute dress or suit last minute, don’t risk it. Go to the mall a few weeks before the dance, look at all the options in person and make a day of it with either your friends or family. Keep in mind this is a school dance, making it important for your attire to be appropriate.
Like with dresses and suits, dinner reservations fill up fast, especially on busy nights where multiple schools have HoCo going on. When making the reservations, try to account for one or two extra people who might join the group at the last minute, as plans can change.
During the week of Homecoming itself, there are a variety of spirit days based on the theme for both students and staff to participate in to earn points for their class. The theme StuCo decided on after having all of the Advisory classes vote is “Nightmare on Southwest Street.” Even if you don’t care about gaining points, these days are an excuse to wear a crazy outfit to school, which I love taking advantage of.
The day of the dance can get pretty stressful, especially when it comes to getting ready, so make sure to be nice to the people helping you. For every dance, my mom helps me curl my hair and for every single dance I stress about how it looks. In those moments, remember Homecoming is about the memories, not just the way your hair looks, and everything is going to work out.
There are only four Homecoming dances in your high school career, so make sure to take pictures to capture the night itself. Choose a location and time with your group in advance to make the day of less chaotic. Try to take pictures with your whole group along with duos and trios, even if you are not the greatest fan of pictures, as these are the moments you will want to look back on in the future.
Even though the dance tickets themselves are pricey, especially since you already spend a lot of money on the pre-dance festivities, I still recommend you go for a little bit. The dance is what you make of it, for example if you go with the “I want to leave” mindset, you will have a less enjoyable experience as compared to the ones who go enjoy themselves.
My biggest piece of advice to everyone — students and parents — is to be safe. The night of Homecoming can get crazy, especially with all of the dinner reservations and after parties, and even though the goal should be to have an unforgettable night, safety should always be the number one priority.
