PRO: Let’s hold the Homecoming Dance outside next year
The Homecoming season brings a lot of joy and excitement to John Carroll as it is a time filled with friendship, unity, and love. Because Homecoming is so well-enjoyed by everyone, opinions are formed on the dance’s location. Should the Homecoming Dance be inside or outside?
The Homecoming Dance should be outside.
First, being outside offers a more scenic atmosphere. The trees and sky really set the mood for a fun-filled night. Outside dances also allow more decor opportunities for things like outdoor seating, string lights, and lanterns.
Another factor may be that there is much more space and fresh air during an outside event. Outdoor venues often offer more space for dancing and activities, making it easier for students and guests to enjoy themselves without feeling crowded.
Students often have gotten very hot and out of breath at indoor dances, and they definitely would enjoy a more comfortable alternative. Students are allowed more opportunities for themes with an outside dance. These themes would be more realistic outdoors, typically, as well.
An outdoor venue allows for more diverse themes, such as a garden party, beach luau, or starry night, providing opportunities for creativity and design.
Having the dance outside makes social interactions and the flow of people a lot better, too. The open space encourages socializing and movement, making it easier for students to interact with each other and form new connections.
It is beneficial for guests to be as comfortable as possible, and with more free range to move, it is ensured that they will be.
Last year’s Homecoming Dance was an outdoor event with a theme of “Under the Stars.” The theme went perfectly with being outside. In addition to physically having the event under the stars, the parking lot was decorated with star balloons and with tables that had star centerpieces and strings of star lights.
One may argue that planning an outside dance the size of Homecoming is risky due to the weather.
It is true that when the dance was held outside in 2021 (due to the Covid pandemic), an unforecasted rainstorm occurred in the middle of the afternoon, soaking all of the decorations that had been set up. The rain did stop a few hours before the dance, and SGA was able to scramble and pull it together. However, this is not quite normal and is often the exception.
In 2023, the administration made the announcement that they would monitor the weather for the night of the Homecoming Dance, and if rain was in the forecast, the dance would be moved inside, and an announcement would be made several days before the dance itself. All went well, and the dance was held outside.
While outside dances may cause concerns for temperatures, heating units are available to place in the dance area.
Outdoor dances are fun and provide a lot more space. Future Homecoming Dances need to be outside, and younger classes need to have the opportunity to experience a dance outside. – Maggie Wells
CON: Keep next year’s dance inside in the gym and cafeteria
This year the Homecoming, location was moved inside into the Upper Gym. Last year, Homecoming took place outside in the employee lot. Although some people believe that the Homecoming Dance is better outside, there are many great reasons for the dance to be inside.
With the Homecoming Dance taking place at the end of September or into October, it starts to get chillier outside. With Homecoming inside, students don’t have to worry about getting cold, because it is warmer inside. This is especially good for girls who wear dresses and who don’t bring a coat or sweatshirt to keep themselves warm.
Last year, the Homecoming Dance ended early because of noise complaints. With Homecoming inside, there are no worries of noise complaints since the loud music is being played in a closed space and not out in the open. Additionally, since the surrounding community would not be able hear the loud music, the neighbors would not get upset with the school.
Regardless of noise complaints, some students still prefer the dance to be outside because they feel that there is more room and space outside.
With last year’s Homecoming being outside, there was only one area where the dance took place: in a parking lot. Students could go inside to go to the bathroom, but besides that, all the snack and drink tables were outside, so it felt super packed, and it seemed like there was no extra space.
When the dance is inside like it was this year, there are many areas that students can go to spend time with friends such as the cafeteria, the gym, or the courtyard. In the Upper Gym this year, there were also tables towards the entrance, that gave students the option to sit down, and still be able to hear the music. In the cafeteria, there were waters that students could drink, and other tables, where students could hang out and talk, without loud music in the background.
The courtyard was also a popular area during the dance this year. If students were hot and needed fresh air from dancing, they could go out to the courtyard and enjoy a change in location. This also allowed the people in the Homecoming Dance to not be squished into one area.
When Homecoming is inside, it is also easier to decorate. With the theme being “Under the Sea” this past year, those from the SGA who were decorating could hang things like fish. They could also add lights all around the Upper Gym to really show that guests were “Under the Sea.”
When Homecoming was outside last year, the theme was “Under the Stars.” This made sense since it was outside, but the overall decorating was more challenging as decorating options are more limited to trees and tables.
Overall, the dance inside is so much more fun than it is outside, and we should continue having the dance inside. There are more places to go; it is easier to decorate, and there are no worries of being cold or having noise complaints. – Cali Friedel