The keeps and changes of homecoming 2019
HEELS TO GYM SHOES. From moving the area from the Commons to the gym and changing the footwear from heels to gym shoes, SHS homecoming has come a long way. SHS homecoming also used to have bonfires and floats, and is still constantly changing and improving with trends of the new generations. “Last year there were no shoes in the gym; since obviously basketball players use gym shoes in the gym, gym shoes are [now] allowed on that floor,” Mrs. Korchok said.
As the first quarter wraps up, the most awaited event of many high schoolers comes close: homecoming. Homecoming has always brought in a buzz of excitement, from the cute proposals to the dress shopping. This year, the student council has made some more changes, in addition to last year’s, in order to better the event and experience.
Last year, one of the more drastic changes was the place; the dance was moved from the Commons to the gym. Mrs. Kate Korchok, the advisor of the student council, describes how “the Commons is a great space for a dance, but it’s a lot of open space and makes for a kind of weird environment to the dance. In the gym, when that music is going and those lights are off, that is a dance floor, and it was awesome last year.”
One of the changes this year is the ticket prices. Homecoming dance tickets have been raised from fifteen dollars to twenty in order to accommodate the rising expenses. “Our expenses are pretty high for this dance [and] twenty dollars seems to be the going rate at other area high schools. The twenty dollars does help us recoup the expenses that we have associated with extensive decorating. We pay for security, we pay for medical, we have to pay for the DJ, we pay for the drinks, we pay for the snacks…” Mrs. Korchok said.
Another change is the footwear regulation. Last year, students were not allowed to wear shoes at all in the gym; however, this year, students can wear gym shoes and can also put their shoes in their lockers, instead of putting them in the shoe check. The shoe check is also now two dollars, contrasting with the free checks the previous years.
The reason for this stems from the protection of the gym; heeled shoes will easily damage the gym floor, leaving marks and other unwanted dents. The student council also states how all the money coming from the shoe check will be donated to the World Wildlife Federation.
“The theme of homecoming is safari…We figured if kids want us to do a shoe check, which we are prepared [for]–we have seven hundred bags ready to go numbered to collect shoes–if those kids want to pay 2 dollars to check their shoes…all those 2 dollars will go to the World Wildlife fund, that kind of goes with our theme of safari,” Mrs. Korchok said.
