A new school year has arrived, and, again, Lake Park’s Homecoming dance did not disappoint. This year the theme, which students got a say in, was Under the Sea Enchantment. The dance offered bonding with classmates over fun activities, music, and snacks. It brought unforgettable experiences to numerous students at Lake Park.
Ms. Aimee Allison and Ms. Brittany Simpson, the coordinators of the dance, found many innovative ways to make the dance even more entertaining this year. They made sure to have many opportunities for a variety of activities, including photos, games, and upbeat music.
“This year we had the Cubs [playoff] game streaming as well,” Ms. Allison said.
Though successful, the process of planning the dance isn’t as easy as it may seem.
“To plan the dance, we start by gathering suggestions from students for the theme and spirit days. We also have students who volunteer to give us feedback throughout the planning process,” Ms. Allison and Ms. Simpson said. “We’re really proud of how everything came together.”
The staff themselves attended the dance to supervise and to see the product of their hard work.
“It was great to see students singing along with the student bands in the cafeteria, dancing to music from the DJ in the gym, and talking with friends while playing games in the field house,” they said.
Many students were having a blast at the dance with all the different entertainment provided. There were even students of our own performing music sets in the West Campus cafeteria.
However, dances are not for everyone. Phoebe Baessler (LP ‘29) decided to miss out on the dance. This was the case for students who felt, as Phoebe worded it, was “not all that worth it.”
Phoebe still dressed up but went out to the movies and to eat afterwards with a friend instead. Even though she did not attend Lake Park’s Homecoming dance, Phoebe still had a lot of fun.
“Honestly, I think school spirit could have been better. I’ve seen many things on social media showing more effort put into things like decoration and persuading people to participate in spirit days,” Phoebe said.
Aniella Barczuk (LP ‘28) attended the Homecoming dance and said she had a pretty good time. There was a specific theme set for the dance but Aniella said that “a lot of people didn’t follow the theme.”
Still, the theme is not the most important aspect of the night. Socializing with fellow peers took priority. It was a great opportunity to have a fun time with close friends, but also with classmates students may not know as well.
“I kind of just found my friends. I went with one friend and then I found my other friends and we all just kind of hung out,” Aniella said.
1,379 tickets were sold for the Homecoming dance, which was just over half of Lake Park’s student enrollment. The dance this year served as a great opportunity to have a fun time with peers while taking your mind off the stress of school work and enjoying a snack or a game.
