Aliso Niguel students celebrated their long-awaited homecoming dance here on campus on Saturday, Oct. 7.
This year’s homecoming theme was “Mixtape” and each grade level represented a different designated music genre. Freshmen were rock, sophomores were disco, juniors were pop, and last but not least, seniors were country.
ASB Commissioner of Special Events, Rachel Sleeth (12), shares how “the theme was decided in one of our Student House of Representatives meetings last year, so it was really great to have a wide student opinion in that decision!”
Tickets went on sale on Sept. 6 starting at $50 with ASB and $60 without, and sales increased as the event approached. Homecoming tickets are sold exclusively to Aliso Niguel students and no guests are allowed.
ASB was extremely active with advertising through post graphics on Instagram, Canvas notifications, and morning announcements. 1400 students in total attended the dance this year.
The dance itself started at 7 p.m. and students anxiously lined up waiting to be let in. The event began in the freshmen area where students could play games like air hockey and Mario Kart. The infamous karaoke station was also set up for students to perform songs with friends.
Per usual, the dance provided snack stations and refreshments for students to grab throughout the night. In addition to snacks, there was an ice cream truck and coffee bar behind the gym that offered ice creams and a variety of drinks including lattes, ice coffees, and hot chocolate.
ASB set up lounge areas for students to be able to sit and rest away from the dancing areas as well.
Two classic ring light photo stands were set out for students to take photo collages with their friends or a date. The photos are instantly set via text message. However, a trend unique to this year’s homecoming was many students brought their own digital cameras to capture moments throughout the night.
The two main attractions of the night were the carnival rides. ASB brought in a swing ride, “The Yoyo,” and the Ferris wheel. Despite their popularity, many students were frustrated with the long lines and people cutting to the front without consequence.
Others were not impressed with the music set either. Many students felt like the songs were too mellow and not fun to mosh to. The DJ was not well-liked because he remixed songs that would have otherwise been hits.
At the dance floor, Chloe Willoughby (12) commented, “You can’t even request songs like you used to.”
One major complaint was the lack of preparation. One student who attended the dance, who requests to remain anonymous, shares how he hurt his ankle while dancing and was disappointed by the lack of aid he received.
Upon asking for ice, all that ASB and administration had to offer was ice from the water coolers. Although an administrator was able to unlock the nurse’s office for him, all of the cabinets were locked, leaving him to wrap his ankle with band-aids and a trash bag.
He says that he was told, “You got to go home or deal with it,” and he felt that “There was a severe lack of anything.”
