When Cardinal Gibbons’s homecoming enters the conversation, the question, “what about a dance?” is rarely excluded. 

Homecoming has always sparked excitement and discussion among peers and educators in the past, and this year was no exception. Leading up to this year’s homecoming football game, all were curious as to which lucky two would be crowned “king” and “queen” of the court. That question was answered on October 14th, when Xavier D’berry and Maria Bassett were crowned their respective titles.

However, as the court stepped off the field and the crowd’s buzzing excitement was replaced with worry over exiting the parking lot, we all found ourselves wondering why the homecoming fun must always be prematurely extinguished.

The time and effort put into homecoming celebrations take weeks of preparation, something many students often overlook. From contacting alumni to setting up ginormous google forms, the small homecoming committee already has its hands full. However, homecoming simply doesn’t have much meaning to the majority of students who only participate through voting. Deirdre Allen, current junior, shared her perspective. “Homecoming is pointless to people who aren’t on homecoming court,” Allen said. “It doesn’t really mean anything.”

Though never given an official date, Cardinal Gibbons hasn’t had a homecoming dance in years–but why? Contrary to popular belief, the idea of a homecoming dance is not off the table. Mrs. Debbie Taylor, head of the homecoming planning committee, was kind enough to share her ideas going into next year. “My vision for a homecoming dance is that it happens right after the game,” Taylor said. “It would just be a huge celebration for forty-five minutes to an hour, and then that’s it. That’s kind of my vision in the school, at least to get it kicked off. Versus when doing a more formal dance the next night, I think maybe we can morph into that in the future.” Fret not fellow students, the possibility of a homecoming dance is not out of the question. All that is needed is action.

It is no surprise that complaints of our nonexistent homecoming dance fly throughout the halls, but these complaints will only multiply if willing and able bodies do not volunteer to aid in the process. This year’s homecoming court member, Leo Morelli, has shown his vivid interest in participating, saying that he would absolutely love to be a part of that process. But as they say, “it takes a village.”

Inserting a homecoming dance will undoubtedly take heaps of effort, but it has the potential to become a core piece to our Gibbon’s community and experience. With that being said, it is a definite possibility, but we must insert ourselves into the narrative and not wait for such a complicated event to be handed to the student body.