The Student Government Association (SGA) strayed from tradition this year, moving the typical homecoming dance to Friday and renaming it “GloCo,” with an all-neon theme.
In the past, the homecoming dance was held the day after the homecoming football game on a Saturday night. Attendance was usually low and primarily only lowerclassmen attended. Students preferred dressing formally to take pictures, going out to dinner and then hanging out at a friend’s house. “I went to the homecoming dance freshman year and it wasn’t very fun. We left early and went to my friend’s house,” junior Samara Clarit said.
Given the lack of attendance in recent years, SGA decided something different needed to be done. Rather than the typical homecoming dance, GloCo would be a casual event directly after the homecoming football game. Since students would already be at the school on Friday for the game, all they needed to do was walk across the parking lot to attend. “There has been declining attendance at the Saturday homecoming event. We thought we should try something new to make things more fun and unique,” senior SGA co-president Zo Singh said.
In the months of school leading up to GloCo, SGA members were working tirelessly to make the night a success. “The planning process for an event like this is long and stressful. Many people don’t realize that we [SGA] spend eight weeks contacting administration, finding sponsors, getting approval, budgeting, buying equipment and more,” junior SGA member Maddy Mathews said.
On Oct. 6 the planning paid off and the first-ever GloCo took place. Before the homecoming game, SGA members were selling neon rally rags for $2, allowing students to add a neon touch to the blackout football theme. After the game ended in a win, students lined up outside the doors waiting to enter the event. “It was really fun to have somewhere to go celebrate right after we won the game,” freshman Anna Sofronas said.
When students entered GloCo, they were immediately met with flashing neon lights, loud music, balloons and posters on the wall. The dance was held in the lower gym and had both a DJ and a large inflatable slide. Outside the gym, volunteers were handing out free pizza and water bottles. The dance studio was transformed into a casino, where SGA members hosted poker games. Outside the casino was a photo booth, free for all students to get their picture taken. “I was really impressed when I walked into the gym and saw all the decorations. The music was great and I had so much fun dancing with my friends,” senior Kelly Ren said.
As more and more students arrived, the energy rose. People could be found enjoying the music, pizza and slides. Principal Douglas Nelson was spotted singing along to the chorus of “Freak” by Doja Cat on the SGA Instagram. “The energy was really great at GloCo. There was a huge mosh pit and everyone was dancing. It was so much fun,” senior Daniel Son said.
Ultimately, GloCo was successful in gaining more student attendance and enjoyment. Around 630 tickets were sold and 600 students actually attended the event. Last year the traditional homecoming dance sold around 700 tickets but less than 500 students attended. With GloCo tickets only being sold for $10, SGA members made a decision to prioritize student engagement over profit. “We made tickets cheaper because they [SGA members] decided it was more important to provide a fun, safe space for kids to go after the game than to make money,” SGA sponsor and psychology teacher Amy Buckingham said.
Whether GloCo will be an ongoing tradition is still being decided. “I plan to gather another round of opinions in January or February. But it really depends on what the student body wants,” Buckingham said.
