When tickets for homecoming went on sale in September, alarming rumors soon started to spread. People were saying that the dance was going to take place in the Panther Plaza at the Middle School because, of course, the high school plaza, where the dance is usually held, is still under construction. Many students, myself included, were a bit doubtful about this location change, but in the end, the 2024 Homecoming Dance—Carnival: A Night in Rio—was a successful night for ASB and a colorful, fun-filled event for those who attended.
The theme actually lent itself very well to decorations. As you entered the dance, you passed under arches draped in brightly colored fabric. Fabric in similar colors hung between the trees surrounding the plaza. White tables and chairs glowing in different colors were scattered throughout the area, and the dance floor was lit by flashing colors, all working to create a bright, festive atmosphere that felt worlds away from middle school lunch time. Junior Liana Haas, the member of ASB in charge of the decorating committee, found the Panther Plaza easy to decorate. “It was fun to work in a different space, and the layout naturally created sections for different parts of the dance.” Haas said.
However, the location change was still stressful. Soon after they decided to hold the dance in the Panther Plaza (the best possible location, considering the construction), ASB was told that there was a leak in the middle school courtyard. The Monday before homecoming, they found out that the would-be dance floor had been dug up, but the leak still hadn’t been found. They would have to change locations again—this time to the area next to the student garden, where the tailgate took place. This was extremely stressful for Haas and the decoration committee, who now had to rethink the entire layout of the dance when they’d been working on decorations especially for the Panther Plaza since September. Luckily, on Thursday, (TWO DAYS before the dance), they received word that, miraculously, the Panther Plaza was fixed, and the dance could be held at the CCMS again.
All of this chaos was because of the Lunch Shelter being constructed at CCHS. The project was approved in February 2023, but construction began in summer 2024. It’s estimated to cost $555,000. It’s one in a long line of projects, including last year’s repainting of the entire school’s exterior, that the school district has planned, and considering how long the school repainting took (well into second semester 2024, when it was planned for summer 2023), we can only hope that we’ll have access to the high school plaza again soon.
The location change did give the dance some excitement. Walking in, it gave many students, who hadn’t been to the middle school since 8th grade, a small wave of nostalgia. Many were apprehensive before the dance, wondering what the dance would be like. Since 2016, the homecoming dance has been held in the high school plaza every year (except 2021, when there was no Hoco dance due to COVID-19). Before that, it was always held in the hot—and sweaty— gym. Students in 2016 had the same feeling of apprehension at having an outdoor homecoming as we felt this year. They worried about weather, and were excited to see how ASB lit the dance floor.
This year’s dance was worth the excitement. It truly felt carnival and, despite the location change, was a memorable night. Thank you to ASB and admin for making this possible, especially the decorating committee, Liana Haas, Khalen Loredo, Mathew Assefa, Gus Alkire, Clark Erekson and Anna Eppe.
