Homecoming Dance

Homecoming week brings much excitement to Samo students each year. Every day is a different “theme” of clothing to wear to school, and on Friday there is the football homecoming game, complete with cheerleaders, a marching band and the announcement of the homecoming king and queen. The festive week culminates with the homecoming dance, hosted by ASB, which is considered one of the biggest school events for all grades.This year’s homecoming dance took place on Saturday, Oct. 28 from 7 to 10 p.m. in the Centennial Quad near the Innovation building. The Halloween themed dance took no shortcuts in terms of decorations; the light poles were lined with orange and black streamers; there were hay bales scattered around the floor; and there was a massive, spooky, nighttime backdrop in front of the Innovation building for students to dance in front of. This year also featured California Pizza Kitchen food for students to enjoy during the dance, and a complimentary bag check so that students with purses could dance freely without having to worry about their possessions. There was a live DJ blasting some of the most popular songs of the year, and although it took a little while for the dancing to get going, students quickly became excited and brought their skills to the floor.Many students thought this year’s homecoming had several better aspects than previous years. Aidan Blain (’20) expressed that he felt like the dance had improved since last year.“I liked that more people were getting into dancing and also that there were more desserts and lots of food. There was also cool lighting and an awesome fog machine,” Blain said. Anna Kroskity (’21) was initially a little nervous being a freshman, but quickly settled in and had a great experience.“I heard that a lot of seniors go, and didn’t know if freshman were welcome. [However] I went because I thought it was an important part of the high school experience. My experience ended up being super fun! Everyone was really into it and that was super cool,” Kroskrity said.Indeed, for such a big school, it is hard for students to truly come together and spend a night unattached from the stresses of classes and grades. Although homecoming is not popular among all students on campus, for the majority of kids it is a welcomed way for them to spend an evening together and see the school in a more enjoyable light.Nick Faries (’19) understands that there are very few opportunities like this throughout the year, and feels like it is an important event to unite the school.“It brings the school together into a more cohesive group, because on such a big campus a lot of kids don’t see each other the entire school day. Without events like these students wouldn’t feel connected to one another,” Faries said.To put together a dance for thousands of students is no small feat, and ASB showed that it was up to the task. Complete with food, music and dancing, the homecoming dance was a raging success, and an enjoyable end to homecoming week.