Waiting in line, frantically looking for your ID and ticket, getting into the gym to dance and party through the night—all of these experiences are ones that many high school students are closely acquainted with. Homecoming is an event most students look forward to every year, from the extensive activities to the grand parade to the crushing game night wins and finally the long-anticipated dance. However, it seems like this concept comes to a disappointing end each year because of one thing: an underwhelming dance.

Though this year’s theme, “Glow-co,” was quite a stunner, in past years, there were common complaints regarding the theme and execution. The lack of or straight-up poor decor and execution that appeared at the dance often let down the student body, especially after such a preamble of festivities the week prior.

This year’s theme was taken a little more seriously. Not only did the school gym have hanging neon ropes, bright lights and a huge “HOCO 2025” sign, but it also had streamers and hanging fringes lining the halls. On the other hand, in years past, a single disco ball was hung for the “Disco” theme, and a few small butterflies lined the halls for the “Enchanted Garden” theme. This year, even considering the bar was raised for the planning of the event, it still doesn’t feel high enough.

One may ask if our Homecoming themes are good or not. I say, this year it was. In theory, any theme, even ones as simple as “Disco,” can be executed effectively; however, others may be more difficult to achieve. The “Enchanted Garden” theme, for example, is a relatively hard-to-execute theme, especially on a budget.

One may also ask if it is worth going to the dance altogether, opting for a different event with their friends instead. Because of the recent price increase and the lack of execution, many are choosing to make other, more enjoyable plans outside of the dance.

“To me, homecoming just didn’t seem worth it… I could have more fun with my friends for less [money]; it seemed like such a waste,” junior Rowan Hogge said.

So after several years of varying degrees of quality, it is worth asking: is the problem surrounding Homecoming the theme, the budget or the execution?

Well, while the answer isn’t clear as crystal, there is an answer in my eyes. The execution is the problem. Whereas varying budgets and yearly themes present challenges of their own, it seems as though the consistent component is those who plan and run the event. 

However, it really isn’t the planners’ fault. The simple truth is that the Executive Board members who run the dance are inexperienced in planning an event this momentous. This leads to many letdowns, especially in the eyes of underclassmen expecting to be in awe. In essence, the ability of the planners can’t meet the expectations set for them. 

This is not to say the board members don’t try or slack off but instead that Homecoming will likely never meet the many expectations for it without an official and experienced planning committee, especially when members and advisors within the student-led organization team that leads it are constantly changing.

“Our advisors this year were definitely new. They had done student council; they had never done Homecoming before. They did do prom last year, so they kind of had a sense for it, and then people who were on it last year, like myself, we helped them and told them what to do, and they were in contact with the old advisors, too, so we were pretty new at it, but we still got it done,” junior and Executive Board Member Addisyn Petit said.

So maybe there is another issue: it’s hard to ignore what’s underlying the struggles of the dance, such as the lack of resources and budget alongside core theme issues. As said before, some themes can be challenging to fully capture, and a lack of financial backing can severely impact the planner’s ability to fully realize the event. Even though this may be the case, some things still don’t add up.

Considering the 50% increase in ticket price from last year to this year, the whole experience regrettably didn’t feel 50% better than years past. While this year’s dance was better, the improvements don’t match the higher ticket prices. This, paired with the arguably easy theme of “Glow-co,” leads me to believe that the root problem is the way in which we plan Homecoming altogether.

This now brings up another question that must be asked: are there any underlying issues impacting the execution and expectations of the dance?

As mentioned previously, more and more people are opting out of partaking in the dance. Recent years have shown a decline in ticket sales not just in Brighton but across the country, which is snowballing into less extravagant plans, then even fewer sales, and so forth.

Other issues include the perceived expectations set by TV and movies, which give unattainable aspirations for the dance’s appearance and activities, with popular culture sometimes casting school dances in a dangerous or negative light. Especially in our afterparty culture, dangerous and illicit behaviour has significantly contributed to the decline in the quality of the dance.

One last underlying issue is simply the burnout and logistical nightmares many are facing in recent years. Just this year, there was a swim meet hours before the dance, massive amounts of homework and a variety of after-school and weekend activities students participated in right before or after the dance. This heavy workload is leading many to not be able to attend, while those who are planning the event are also being forced into additional work on top of already bulging workloads.

All in all, underlying issues are plaguing our Homecoming experiences. From burdening workloads to declining ticket sales, the appearance and quality of the event were subpar at best this year. Even in the midst of budget issues and questionable themes, it’s the lack of expertise and resources for the planning committee, paired with unrealistic expectations, that is causing the event to slip into unsatisfactory mediocrity.