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Winter Homecoming Week…But No Dance?

Photo+courtesy+of+E.+Kindl
Photo courtesy of E. Kindl

Preparation. Advertising. Decoration. Commitment.

Student Council worked above and beyond for this year’s Winter Turnabout dance, aiming for it to be more successful than the previous years. It is so disappointing, that with how much work and determination Student Council put into this dance, so many students seemed to neglect that.

Because not long before the administrators released the students from the pep assembly, they announced the Winter Turnabout was cancelled due to a lack of student interest.

With the dress-up days, the pep assembly, and the tailgate at the basketball game planned prior to the dance, the Student Council members hoped to build spirited anticipation for the dance itself. They put a lot of emphasis on the Winter Homecoming this year, and yet, no one wanted to come.

Although less people dressed up on the week of the Turnabout than the Homecoming dance earlier this year, I knew many who did participate in it. I loved seeing that participation and spirit, and I also partook in that. But I was shocked when I realized that a good portion were not planning on going to the dance.

The reasons for people not going to the dance were unbeknownst to me.

Sophomore Deepa Dhillon, one of the Student Council members, aimed to create school spirit in organizing the pep assembly. The pep assembly included a three-on-three basketball game, faceketball, a lip sync battle, and bubble soccer. She and her committee made it so people would want to go.

I believe the pep assembly had a fairly good turnout and was successful, and I noticed the student body’s contentment and spirit throughout the entire time. But, seriously, the negligible amount of tickets sold to the actual dance was pathetic. Those who did pay for tickets will definitely be refunded.

Senior Jacob Wat was in charge of the committee organizing the tailgate before the basketball game. The committee decided to include fun games, show a movie, and provide food for the event − all to encourage people to go to the basketball game. The indoor tailgate lasted from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., with the basketball game shortly after.

Wat believed that the most important goal, by getting people to go to the basketball game, was to help improve school unity and get everybody to support any activity. He believed that school spirit was much needed, for the basketball game and the Winter Turnabout.

“The most important part of this dance was the school spirit that could come out of [it], and I think it could really bring the school together like it does for Homecoming,” Dhillon said.

It should’ve been enough, and more, to get people to come to the dance.

But I guess not. Though Student Council worked harder on this Turnabout dance than previous Turnabout dances, perhaps they could’ve worked harder on this dance than Homecoming.

The pep assembly and tailgate was incredible, and the dress-up days were fun, but I believe the advertisement was lacking. In the beginning of every school year, there’s always talk of Homecoming − even three months prior to the dance − but I rarely heard much talk of the Winter Homecoming this year before Jan. 28.

If Homecoming is always so successful, then the Winter Turnabout has the same potential if the same amount of advertising is being accomplished.

If doing this doesn’t work out, then it’s not Student Council’s problem.

It’s the student body’s.

And if it’s the student body’s, it’s just silly. High schools hold these kind of dances to give us great opportunities to make fantastic memories within our high school experience. Don’t pass that up.

Student Council dreamed to have the Winter Turnabout resemble Homecoming, and they were willing to go to great lengths to make that happen. Advertising for the dance could’ve occurred sooner, but that aside, Student Council worked so hard to make it happen. They wanted it to be for the students and what the students wanted to see.

“We’re an amazing school, and we want to give the students here the best experiences that we can,” Wat said. “We’re really just trying to show that a winter dance is beneficial when it comes to having a good high school experience. It’s saddening to see that people only care about the normal, mainstream dances instead of branching out and attending these different ones.”

If HHS’s students aren’t willing to participate in an event that was even tailored to their interests, then I believe we need to question how much school spirit we really possess.

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Emily Kindl, Author

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