Homecoming a hit

      Homecoming has come and gone with the memories already fading from the students’ minds. However, this year homecoming was arranged differently, which many feel made it much more successful than previous years.
      “I thought it was the best homecoming that has occurred since I have been sponsor,” said SGA sponsor Abbie Kahn.
      The students were required to enter through the main entrance instead of jock lobby, which made the check-in process run more smoothly with less chaos. The doors to the dance also closed at 9:30 ensuring that everyone got into the dance promptly and were able to enjoy themselves.
      The theme of the dance was “A Night in Times Square”. In order to comply with this, the gym was decorated with city lights and street signs, creating a completely different atmosphere. Tables were available on the sides, near a city street set with the empire state building.
      Although the SGA hasn’t been able to successfully hold a dance other than homecoming, the dance still yielded a high attendance for this year. There were 870 tickets sold and 41 tickets given away.
      Homecoming holds other traditions besides going to the dance. Most students attend the dance in groups after going out to dinner and taking pictures together. Many use homecoming as an excuse to stay out late for the after-parties.
      “At times the dance is fun, but my favorite part is when my friends and I hang out after the dance. Dinner is also fun because we get to talk and laugh in a more private environment,” said senior Michael Chung.
      The night flowed together nicely except for the malfunctions with the music. “I thought the music was bad because it stopped three different times and the mixing of the songs was really annoying because you couldn’t enjoy a full song,” said senior Bryan VanBalen. The final 20 minutes of the dance were interrupted by silence as the music once again shut off, making the students stand around talking while the DJ figured out what was wrong.
      When asked whether he felt the dance was successful, first year sponsor Neal Jarvis answered, “Yes, it was well organized and a lot of hard work was put in by the students in SGA.”
      Even though Homecoming this year was a triumph in the SGA’s eyes, some students still weren’t impressed enough to attend the dance. The tickets this year were priced at $20 a person with no discounts for couples. The combination of dinner, a dress, and ticket proved to be too costly for many Annandale students.
The amount of tickets sold this year dropped from 948 tickets last year, which may have been a result in the raise in ticket prices. Last year tickets were $15 for singles and $25 for couples. “It was really challenging to have two ticket types,” said Abbie Kahn. The SGA bases the ticket prices on the price of the accommodations for the dance such as the DJ, decorations, and security. “The price we paid for the dance increased so naturally we had to raise the ticket prices in response, it’s simple supply and demand,” said Kahn.
      “It’s too much money for just the dance, I went last year to Lake Braddock’s Homecoming, but the music was bad, my friend is having a party so I’m going to go to that instead,” said freshman Arely Alcocer.
      Senior Cassie Manahl shared the same feelings. “I believe Homecoming costs too much money for something that’s set in the gym. I could do a lot more things outside of school that would cost less and be more fun. If they put more effort into it, I’d consider going.”
      Next year the SGA will reevaluate the prices compared with the cost to see if a change in ticket prices can be made. The prices won’t go above $20, but a future discount for couples seems unlikely. “We talked with other schools in the county and most of them didn’t have a discount for couples, so we decided to do the same to make it easier,” said Kahn.