A few weeks ago leadership revealed in a video that this year’s homecoming theme was La La Land. No one seemed particularly excited by the reveal. Some students were upset because La La Land was a popular theme last year and they felt it was a bit outdated while others were upset by ticket prices. But how much does the theme really matter anyway? And is $20 really too much for a Homecoming ticket? Were students overreacting?
I went to homecoming with my friends and had a great time. From the moment you entered the event there was a beautiful arch to take pictures and set the mood/theme. There was also a HOCO sign to take pictures with. The lights and backdrops were perfect for pictures with friends to commemorate the evening.
All the decor was on theme with La La Land and clearly took a lot of time and effort to make. Aside from that there was a food truck, photo booth and caricature artist. The night was filled with smiles and laughter as everyone flocked to the dance floor singing and dancing along to their favorite songs.
When asking other students about their experience at Homecoming they all said the same thing: they had fun. No one thought anything bad about the decor, and in fact while I was there I saw many people taking pictures with the backdrops. Where were all the people who didn’t like the theme? After the dance no one complained about not having a good time, nobody seemed to have any complaints surrounding the dance.
So, if so many people enjoyed themselves then why does it seem like every event is always welcomed with complaints? The reaction to the Homecoming reveals a very common issue students have with school events. When an event is announced there is always disappointment about the theme, the price or the time and in the end everyone ends up enjoying the event. So is there a way to remedy the problem or is it an inevitable issue for ASB?
When speaking to Ms. Molina, the ASB advisor, she said “It’s hard because the students have a hard time selling tickets as it is and they were coming back to me saying ‘Ms. no one wants to buy tickets because of the theme,’ or ‘Ms. no one wants to buy tickets because of the price’ which is really sad because then we have to increase the price.”
In the end Homecoming was a success despite the initial reaction, with about 400 students buying tickets and attending the dance. But the truth is students can’t expect a fun event for free, these events cost money to throw and the prices are only that high so that we can have more things. And without getting enough ticket sales they can’t keep adding new activities to these events to improve students’ experience.
It’s completely understandable for students to have their own idea of what the perfect HOCO looks like but they need to understand the logistics that go into these events. If you want to have fun and engaging events you need to support the fundraising that goes on for them otherwise you’re left with either canceled or boring events.
Written By Logan Gonzalez, Staff Writer