The homecoming dance, which took place at the gym on Oct. 15, 2022, sold a record-breaking 1,504 tickets compared to last year’s 922, with sales ending seven days earlier than expected, bank technician Jim Hollenback said in an email statement.
The skyrocket in student attendance at the annual dance raised the question of why substantially more students were drawn to the event this year than in the past, according to ASB president Victoria Ly.
Unlike last year’s outdoor homecoming dance, this year’s dance offered numerous other features and activities, including two photo booths, free snacks, archery, and karaoke, ASB secretary and homecoming dance lead Tiffany Lieu said. The newly implemented activities promoted inclusivity, catering to not only extroverted students but also shyer ones, she added.
“A lot of this builds on past dances and homecomings. During my freshman year, there were free snacks and that’s where we drew that idea from,” Lieu said. “We talked to the same people we talked to last year for prom. So, it’s building on previous experiences to try to make the best dance possible.”
The free snacks and water provided at the homecoming dance made students feel cared for in case of dehydration and hunger, junior Nicolas Mock said.
“Last year was mainly the dance aspect, but this year, if you have different interests or you don’t like dancing, there were other ways you could have had fun with your friends,” Ly said.
According to Mock, the availability of song requests wasn’t made as clear as it should have been. Organizers could have prevented the miscommunication by announcing that the DJ was open to song requests, he added.
“This year was more chaotic because nearly everyone was jumping on each other during every song,” Mock said. “I think last year was a little better.”
According to Lieu, pricing and affordability may have had an impact on ticket sales as well. This year, tickets were offered at a discounted price to students of all grades, she said. However, prices were lower for freshman students during the ASB blowout sale and for students who qualified for free or reduced lunch throughout both weeks of regular ticket selling, she added.
“We recognize that it can be harder for them to buy tickets at MHS on specific days or times,” Lieu stated in an email. “For all students, we also made an effort to keep ticket prices lower than last year while offering more activities at the dance.”
Aside from the activities and pricing, COVID-19 precautions caused uncertainty and restrictions in planning last year’s event, giving less room for creativity, Lieu said. The 2021-2022 school year was the return to in-person learning from the pandemic, making safety measures more strict, she added.
“It was the first year coming back from COVID. We had to have the dance outside, which we’d never done before, but now we kind of have that basis. We know what is allowed on tennis courts, how the DJ and the dance floor are going to work,” Lieu said. “(This year) was more smooth. … We were able to go inside the gym this year, which I believe we weren’t allowed to do last year.”
Attending high school events was a first-time experience for many students last school year as they returned from online learning, according to Kathy Nguyen, ASB junior class commissioner.
“Last year, no one really knew what was going on, especially freshmen and sophomores. The sophomores, it was kind of their freshman year too,” Nguyen said. “I think this year, everyone has a better idea of what’s going on and what to look forward to, so they’re more excited about it.”
However, there were still some downsides such as long wait times in lines, especially since this was only the second year coming back from sheltering in place, junior class president Davin Jeng said.
“There were so many people with few workers that could check everyone in, which made it so slow. We don’t want to waste people’s time waiting in line, so, hopefully, for next year’s homecoming, or future events in general, we can find ways to speed up check-ins,” Jeng said.
There is always room for improvement when planning annual events, Lieu said.