A heavily anticipated event for many students is the homecoming dance, however what many people may not understand or tend to know about is the sheer amount of hours that go into preparing for the dance. From brainstorming creative ideas to actually setting up in the days leading up to the dance , STUGO puts in hours upon hours into making sure the dance is ready to go in time.
Despite beliefs that may be held by some on campus, preparation for the dance begins right when school starts. Junior Julia Fountain plays a key role in the designing and art aspect of the dance this year, and she states that, “We hit the ground running, we get back from summer break and get right into planning. [Using] every day.” Starting on day one, STUGO has about two months to fully prepare for the event. For students who are newer to STUGO, freshmen in particular, this can be stressful and potentially overwhelming.
There are many long days and nights that go into STUGO preparation as well. For example, Junior Taumi Spencer elaborated on this, stating, “We’re here until at least four or five for at least two weeks up to the event.” Not only that, but staying late after school can also turn into staying up late until midnight the day of the dance. Spencer continued, “We’re here until 12 o’clock on Friday night, and about 12 in the afternoon on Saturday.” As the halls and rooms are still in use up until the dance, the hours leading up to the dance are crucial for decoration
Preparation for homecoming can be especially tedious for teachers involved, however STUGO teacher Lerina Johnson is all about the dance. Johnson elaborated on the process from her perspective, stating, “I love it. We’re building things, and these kids have ideas. To help them bring these ideas to a finished product is worth it.” For Johnson, the hours put in can be tedious and exhausting, however the end result is worth the work put in.
To the average student, homecoming may simply be seen as a fun dance for friends, some great photo opportunities and a chance to dress up. However, to the student government on campus it is so much more than that. Behind the scenes, there is tons of preparation on top of a great many hours that often go unseen and underappreciated by STUGO.
