Homecoming is no longer coming, and the spring fling has flung itself out of the social schedules of high school students.
With attendance considerably low at this year’s homecoming dance, planners have chosen to cancel the Spring Fling dance to limit financial loss.
“Homecoming wasn’t on a Saturday, and it wasn’t a formal thing. What’s the point?” freshman Morgan Snow said.
Over the years, we have gone from having multiple school dances a year to prom being our only formal dance.
Many students complained that a failure to hold homecoming on a Saturday, allowing it to be more formal, contributed to poor attendance. Many claim to still desire other formal dances.
But planners and the administration are doubtful.
“Well, there is no question that the students want the dances on Saturday. I am sure that has a large effect on the success of dances. I also think that dances are starting to become a past time,” Student Government Association Adviser Sarah Larsen said.
However, our school is not the only one.
“Winterfest was canceled due to a lack of attendance, and homecoming is dangerously close to being cancelled for the same reason,” said Eric Broer SGA adviser Leesville Road High School.
What students don’t know is that administration pays for school dances with the funds from ticket sales, and when no one attends, they go into debt and have to pay out of pocket.
“We have to book DJs, security, advertise, order and sell tickets, decorate, set up before and clean up the day after. The total cost for our homecoming dance this year with everything included was about $1,000,” Larsen said in an e-mail.
While school dances are supposed to be a fun experience, many students only attend them because they will receive hours for clubs.
“I did attend the homecoming dance because it was required by SGA,” senior Rachel Gallo said.
While school dances have not been much of a success in the past years, planners are always thinking about students and how they can make it better for them.
Larsen said, “we are always exploring ideas and ways to make the dances more successful.”