As you have probably noticed, Neshaminy High School did not hold a Homecoming dance for the 2022-23 school year. Students have had varying opinions about this. Some are upset, some are relieved, and some are indifferent, but there are also many misconceptions as to why this dance didn’t occur that need to be cleared up.
Most students are quite passionate about how they wanted to have a dance.
“It makes me really upset because seniors and
other Neshaminy students won’t ever get to experience a Homecoming like the grades above us did,” one student said.
Students also had to experience watching other local schools on social media dress up and have their dances, while feeling left out that NHS did not.
On this topic, students have said, “It’s upsetting seeing everyone else have Hoco dances,” and, “I feel like we should have had [one].”
This loss has left a bigger bruise on
seniors, specifically, because of the unusual high school years they have had up to this point due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“[Not having a dance is] really annoying considering all that we’ve been through as seniors,” one senior said.
The class of 2023 has only had one Homecoming dance held during their high school years, held in October of 2019, meaning that current seniors that did not attend that dance will have never experienced a Homecoming dance at all.
One senior, who couldn’t attend their freshman Homecoming dance, said, “I’m just disappointed because it feels like I’m missing out on an important high school experience.”
As to why there was not a dance, students were never provided with a definitive reason, causing them to formulate various ideas and theories of their own.
“I think it’s because of Covid… but I’m not 100% sure,” one student remarked.
“I guess [it’s] because not everyone attends, or the school doesn’t think it’s necessary,” another suggested.
“I believe it’s because of the new gym floor or because there are too many students,” another student speculated.
Stephen Garstka, principal of Neshaminy High School, explained the real reason and how the school will likely be moving forward.
Garstka said that the lack of a Homecoming dance this year is due to the amount of students in the school and the limited capacity of the gym. If they held a normal dance like they did years prior, only about 20% of the students in the school would be able to attend, which doesn’t even account for the entire senior class.
Since the dance would be so restrictive in the amount of students that could buy tickets, Garstka decided not to hold this event, and to instead hold ‘Rock the Ridge’.
To celebrate the Harry E. Franks stadium (Heartbreak Ridge) before the demolition preceding the
construction work, all grade levels would celebrate with festivities, but was canceled due to a “lack of interest” from students.
For seniors specifically, Garstka also mentioned that another opportunity to simulate a Homecoming dance’s festivities and memories was the senior dinner cruise, which took place earlier in the month.
When it comes to what the school will do in the future, Garstka expressed that he is definitely open to having a Homecoming dance in the future but that the capacity problem will not resolve itself anytime soon.