Every year, ASB Leadership holds an annual Homecoming Game and Dance at John Marshall High School. This year, the game occurred on Friday, September 13, while the dance happened on Saturday, September 21. For each, leadership students are involved in every detail, from planning to execution to cleanup. As a result, many students enjoy these events without fully considering the gravity of how much each leadership student does at Homecoming. As such, I interviewed leadership students to get their perspectives on what it was like working at Homecoming and what they liked and disliked about it.
Angelina Nguyen, an 11th-grade accounting liaison, Aracely Guzman, a 12th-grade senior class representative, and Kayden G. Capuno, a 10th-grade sophomore class representative, each lent their voices and opinions based on their experiences.
Compared to last year, all interviewees said this year was better than the previous but had some hiccups. “I think in terms of decorations and setup, the Homecoming this year was a lot better, however organization was a little wild, and we were in a bit of a rush this year,” Angelina said.
Some disliked the fundraisers on either side of the bleachers, while others were fine with the setup. This duality is showcased by Aracely. “What I disliked about the homecoming game is that the classes were separated while doing concessions, and one side made more money than the other, and one side did more than the other.” Kayden responded, “I did not dislike anything this year about the Homecoming game.”
While some disliked the hours and the setup times, others had no complaints, as shown by the duality of responses from Aracely and Kayden. Aracely said, “What I disliked about the homecoming dance was that we weren’t going by the schedule that was made, and I didn’t have a break till 5. Our break was supposed to be at 2:30.” At the same time, Kayden responded, “I did not dislike anything this year about the Homecoming dance.”
In both the Homecoming Game and Dance next year, they suggested that more time to decorate and better time management would be significant improvements for next year. Kayden said, “We should improve our time management. Though I mentioned we got things done, I believe if we had a little more time to do everything, our people wouldn’t be so stressed.” Aracely said, “I wish that we could have a pep rally during 4th so we could have more time to decorate because of how long the balloon arch took. And we need to communicate more in a nicer way and not just yelling into the walkie-talkies.”
Overall, all three agreed that this year’s homecoming was better than the last and offered ideas for improving next year. However, due to some shortcomings, it could have been better for both students and leadership.
