Homecoming at AHA lasted a whole week this year, starting with the dance on Saturday, moving into a week of out-of-uniform school days, a pep-fest, and to end, the Friday night football game. Yet, throughout all this excitement, students at AHA seemed to be less interested in the Homecoming dance itself. Many of the students who came to the dance leave within an hour, while many other students choose not to attend the dance. The disinterest shown by students raises the question: What causes students to leave so soon and how can AHA work to improve the dance?

In hopes to answer this question, a freshman was asked to give her opinion. When asked how she felt about the dance, she stated it was mediocre, with no highs or lows. One critique she had with the dance was the music, as she found some of it to be outdated and unappealing. Additionally, she believes the dance was too soon into the school year, with limited time to form friend groups for Homecoming. She stated that in the coming years she will continue to attend; however, she will follow in the footsteps of the upperclassmen before her and not stay long. 

In contrast to the freshman, a senior girl was interviewed to give a more experienced portrayal of the Homecoming dance. Overall, she stated, the Homecoming dance was better than it has been in previous years, lasting longer and being more entertaining. However, despite it surpassing previous Homecoming dances, she still believes that people leave hastily due to the DJ’s music and excessive mosh-pitting that leads to injuries and too much sweat. As a senior, she believes that the Homecoming dance was the best during her sophomore year, when there was a lead up to the dance with a week filled with fun activities, themed days, and football the night before. Furthermore, in order to stop the rapid decrease in attendance, she suggests some possible improvements such as a Homecoming court, additional decor in the gym, an increase in the number of activities (ie. Spikeball and cornhole), and possibly bring back the photo booth that appeared at previous dances. With all of these improvements, it is believed that the once beloved Homecoming at AHA could return to its once vibrant status. 

Along with Homecoming, the Angelus and Sadie Hawkins’s dances have been experiencing a thinning in attendance, going so far as to the Sadie’s dance being canceled for the 2023-24 school year. If students continue down this path, dances will not bring in enough money for AHA to profit. In response, what could this mean for the future of all dances at AHA? If the dances do not improve anytime soon, will AHA students face the loss of another dance? For the future of AHA, students and staff should work together to make Homecoming a better experience for everyone.