A new approach for Homecoming theme decisions

Aparna Ayyah

Conant’s 2018 Homecoming Theme, “Around the World,” is displayed throughout Conant hallways.

Homecoming is a traditional part of high school here in the U.S., and there is always a lot of excitement leading up to the big dance. At Conant, we have our spirit days and the Homecoming football game. Another big part of Homecoming is the decorations. Each year a theme is chosen for the dance, and the students of Conant decorate the hallways according to that theme.

Student Council picks the Homecoming theme every year, but they are only a portion of the students who actually participate in the Homecoming festivities. As a school-wide event, Homecoming should have a theme that represents the wishes of the entire student body. This also goes for Spirit Day themes, which are also determined by Student Council. If even more students were to have a say in what the themes were, then even more students might participate in them and other Homecoming preparations and festivities.

However, it would not be realistic or ideal to put the themes up to a school-wide vote. Student Council sponsor David Moravek said that Student Council has to be especially thoughtful and careful when choosing Homecoming themes. The decision takes time, and there are a lot of aspects of picking Homecoming themes many students may not consider, such as what is practical, safe, and comfortable for all members of the Conant community. It is good to have a lot of people like one theme, but not if it comes at the expense of the comfort of other students. If the entire school were to decide Homecoming themes simply through a poll, these considerations would not be taken properly into account.

An alternative would be to have Student Council choose two potential Homecoming themes and then let the entire student body choose which theme they prefer. This way, the theme better reflects the entire school’s interests.

This method would still give more say to those in Student Council, since they would be making most of the decisions. So, it would not take away from their role in the Homecoming festivities and would still reward the students who actually take time to join and work on Student Council. It  would also benefit the rest of the students by giving them some influence in the theme, especially those who want to join Student Council but can’t at the moment, maybe because of a sport or some other club. Some students–fall athletes, for example–may find themselves eventually joining Student Council but not in time to be part of Homecoming decisions.

In the proposed alternative to the current process, Student Council will still have more influence, but all students will have sway in the final decision. This way, students in Student Council would still be rewarded for their time and commitment while everyone else would be able to participate, and the themes will better reflect the interests of Conant’s student body.

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