The Unfortunate Lack of Homecoming Hype

The+Unfortunate+Lack+of+Homecoming+Hype

Chad Strazzara, Editor

“When were you planning on asking somebody to Homecoming?”

“You were planning on asking somebody? I didn’t even think it was a formal dance.”

From an outside perspective, this conversation would seem nothing short of ridiculous. Within the halls of Blanchet, this conversation is a regular utterance. A conversation occurring between everyone from the likes of Freshmen to Seniors nonetheless. This may be ludicrous, yes, but like it or not, it’s reality.

For as long as the Senior class has been at Blanchet, the homecoming dance has had no identity whatsoever. It went from a completely informal dance with no theme in 2013, to a semi-formal dance with no theme which promoted going as a couple in 2014, back to an informal dance this time incorporating a “glow” theme in 2015. What will the seemingly inevitable alteration to the Homecoming dance be this year? As of now, the student body is unaware.

What will the ASB officials decide upon for this years dance? Will it follow this unintentional pattern and encourage going as a couple yet again? If not, will it incorporate a theme again? Will it even be at Blanchet? Potentially taking a completely new approach and being hosted at a unique venue, a la Tolo 2016. Or unprecedented yet simple enough, will they keep it the same as the year before? Going for the informal platform and possibly changing the theme to something more Halloween centered based on the preset date of the dance.

Any one of these ideas could be carried out and planned for in the coming weeks. Then again, they all could have already been considered and shut down by the ASB officials who have something completely new in store for the evening of the 22nd.

Regardless of which is decided upon and promoted, one known fact is for certain; it is absurd that the student body has no idea what style to anticipate out of a Homecoming dance, especially those have been here to witness multiple through the years. Not that a Homecoming dance, or any high school dance for that matter, is dependent on its familiarity among the students, but this level of uncertainty among even upperclassmen is unparalleled.

Don’t get it twisted, we have plenty of virtues of our school to be proud of as students at Blanchet: The great teachers and faculty, the amazing food, the well-rounded athletic programs, the sensational clubs and extracurricular activities. That being said, our whole-student-body school dances are certainly not one of these virtues and this situation of uncertainty yet again with our homecoming dance does not help build their case.

As Blanchet students we are forced to listen to stories from our friends about how much they look forward to Seattle Prep dances, or how much fun they have at Holy Names/O’Dea dances, and so on and so forth. We deserve to be proud of our dances too; to look forward to them and be excited to tell others. Although, it can be a difficult task to get outsiders to envy our dances when we ourselves know nothing about them or what to expect.

The Junior class cabinet knocked it out of the park with the Tolo dance last year, completely flipping the script and creating something that was universally enjoyed by the student body. It showed potential for a dance to grow accustomed to and get excited for. To do so again with the Homecoming dance this year would be monumental for Blanchet and its students.

Only time will tell if this year’s Homecoming dance can have the same impact as last year’s Tolo dance. For now, let’s just worry about finding out whether or not we need a date.