When I think of Homecoming, I think of a really hype dance where the lights are off and everyone is dancing. October 15th, 2022, was my first homecoming. I was excited, but when I arrived, my enthusiasm was quickly replaced with disappointment. No one was really dancing, the lights were on, and less than a quarter of the school was present.
The lights haven’t been on in a couple of years, which ultimately takes the spark out of homecoming. No one wants to really dance when the lights are on because it is quite awkward to be seen. Several students have said they show up for a few minutes and leave because it is “lame,” or they attend another school’s homecoming dance to get the full experience.
“I got ‘FOMO’ because of how fun the other schools were having, but as soon as I got to my homecoming, I wanted to leave.” – BHS Female Student.
Homecoming is supposed to be one of the biggest dances/parties of the school year, where memories are made that last as long as their stories on social media. Many Belleville students don’t even go to their own school’s homecoming because they don’t like it. Other schools make fun of Belleville for our homecomings, which is almost embarrassing for our reputation.
Huron High School is a very good example of an ideal homecoming, which many Belleville students attend. The lights are off the entire time, and the kids are energetic and dancing. Hurons provides guest passes so students divided by district can party together, which also allows new friendships to sprout.
“I used to have a friend in dance from Belleville who said she just didn’t go to your homecomings because it wasn’t worth it,” said a student from Huron High School.
The school argues that worse behavior will happen when the lights are off, but things will happen with lights off or on either way. Teenagers are naturally sneaky and will do things without care or find sneakier ways to get away with it. The school shouldn’t punish every student for poor choices made by a select few. When the lights used to be off, teachers stood on stools with flashlights and would call kids out if things started to get out of hand. There is no reason not to continue that. It was an effective way to keep social events from getting out of hand. The lights don’t help anything; they just ruin special high school experiences.
If Belleville just gave the lights being off another chance, more people would likely attend, and the school would gain more money from ticket sales. Our reputation in dances would improve, showing purpose to the dance, leaving students with an excellent, memorable experience. High school is supposed to be the best years of teens’ lives, so why not advocate to make sure students achieve that?
