Imagine the excitement of a Homecoming dance: the music, the laughter, the memories made under glittering lights. This quintessential high school experience is, unfortunately, not a reality for Hackley high schoolers. With a few adjustments, however, we could bring the spirit of Homecoming to our school.
According to the Hackley Parents Association the Snowball dance which is held every year in the winter, is meant to be a replacement for Homecoming. Another partial replacement for Homecoming is The Sting. The Sting is similar to a Homecoming in that their are a few games at the beginning of the year but it lacks the associated seats.
The Snowball is a dance that many juniors and seniors do not go to, and the majority of people who do go to the Snowball are freshman and Sophmores. An anonymous student stated that they only went to the snowball once because they didn’t like it the first time, and a lot of their friends did not go either. They also believed that most people would rather have a Homecoming than a Snowball, including themselves.The Sting is a great event that should definitely stay a Hackley tradition, but it does not replace Homecoming. Isla a student at another schools believes that Homecoming is “a good way to meet new people, if you are a freshman, and a good way to see everyone in your class again especially at the beginning of the year, but most of the socializing is done at the dance rather than the actual games.” This quote illustrates that though The Sting is one of the best Hackley events, it does not replace Homecoming, because Homecoming is a place to meet new people, and people whom you have not seen in a long time, but most of the important parts of Homecoming, such as socializing, happens at the dance rather than at the games.
The Sting is a Hackley tradition that should keep on going for many years to come, but this does not mean that we can not adjust The Sting into a Homecoming as well. The Sting is an event, held at the beginning of the school year, in the winter, and in the spring every year. It starts off with a few activities generally for the younger children, then the sports games commence. This past Sting there were five different sports games. One could very easily change this event into a Homecoming, by moving the start of the games a few hours earlier and maybe having a few less sports games.
With the facilities and spirit already present at Hackley, hosting a Homecoming dance is well within our reach. It’s time to enhance our school traditions and create an event that brings students together, fostering community and creating memories that will last a lifetime.
