By Aditya Rajpurohit
The Homecoming dance has been a staple of schools since the 19th century, serving as a welcome back to learning at the beginning of the school year, and a celebration of the football team’s homecoming game the day before.
At Branford High School, the dance is usually held in the Commons, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, having so many students cramped in such a space could prove to be incredibly dangerous, even if all are wearing masks.
Despite these challenges, this year’s Homecoming Dance is scheduled for Friday, Nov.19. It’s just been moved outside.
Not wanting to skip such an important event, the Student Council has instead elected to put up a tent outside the building, allowing students to enjoy the dance without worrying about health concerns.
“Even though it’s going to be different [from] homecomings we had other times,”said Colin Shuff, vice president of the Student Council. “We did everything we could to make sure that it can be as comfortable and fun as the other dances we had.”
The tent has been set up in parking lot C, on the right side of the school. It will have heating, lighting, and speakers to ensure that this outside setting won’t tarnish the students’ Homecoming experience, Shuff said. The theme of the dance is “Enchanted Forest.”
Unfortunately, the safety protocol also requires that there be no food at the event.
“On the bright side of it being outside though, masks are not required during the dance,” Shuff said. “It’s a good idea for people to at least bring one with them though in case they need to go inside for the bathroom or anything like that.”
Student reactions to this departure from Homecoming conventions have been mostly positive. Seniors Taylor Novella, Zoe Menard, and Giovanna Lyon, for example, have some mixed feelings about the changes, but are overall excited for the event.
“I’m mostly looking forward to dressing up and hanging out with my friends,” said Menard. Lyon expressed interest in seeing what changes the Student Council have enacted this year. When asked about her expectations for the event, Novella said, “I want to just have fun; I want the dance to be memorable.”
However, all three students had some apprehension in regards to the setting.
“I feel like it’s going to be really cold. Anyone in a dress is going to be freezing in the tent,” Lyon said. While there will be heaters in the tent, it remains to be seen how cold it will actually be, as there’s no precedent for outdoor dances at BHS. The weather forecast in Branford calls for temperatures in 30s with low chance for rain.
Novella also expressed some feelings in regards to the atmosphere of the event in the past, and how she would like to see it changed.
“It’s always very cliquey, not everybody is involved,” she said. “I wish there was something for everyone to do other than just standing around and talking to their friends.”
The Homecoming dance will take place Friday from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets are on sale for $10 in the Commons during all three lunch waves throughout this week.
