Leland Homecoming Dance
By Lauren Law & By Nirupama Shivakumar 11/6/2024
La La Leland Homecoming Dance by Lauren Law
Beneath a canopy of twinkling decorations and shimmering lights, melodies traveled through the air, transforming the school into a dazzling homage to “La La Land.” Aside from traditional Homecoming festivities this year, ASB also introduced more gender-neutral royalty categories, allowing for more students to feel represented.
The school’s annual Homecoming dance took place on Oct. 12 and was based on the popular musical “La La Land.” ASB marketed the dance as “La La Leland” to tie in with the theme and connect it back to the school. The dance activities included two photo attractions, including a red carpet and a 360 photo booth with a rotating camera. “La La Land” played in the GBA for students to watch while they snacked on the variety of chips and candy available. In addition to the small bites, ASB parents operated a mocktail bar, serving four hand crafted drinks including Orange Spritz, Shirley Temple, Cotton Candy and Mojito mocktails.
Many students held divided opinions about Homecoming. Junior Abigail Polous chose to attend because she wanted to get dressed up and take pictures with her friends, but she was disappointed by the DJ’s lackluster music selections that failed to energize the moshpit. On the other hand, Sophomore Mica Montali enjoyed the free drinks and the opportunity to spend time with friends outside of the typical classroom setting while indulging in the chaos and excitement of the dance circle.
“I thought this year’s dance was mediocre in comparison to the casino theme last year, which seemed more organized with better music and decorations. I also felt that the number of people at the dance was significantly less than previous years; I know a lot of my friends chose not to attend. I had fun spending the night with my friends, but in general, I enjoyed the before and after activities more than the actual Homecoming itself,” Senior Anjani Shah said.
Homecoming is an American high school tradition where students come together to celebrate their school pride. It is traditionally a week-long event where spirit days and student engagement activities lead up to the Homecoming game and dance on Friday and Saturday respectively, allowing for a shared celebratory experience.
To kickstart the school’s Homecoming week, ASB organized interactive games for students to participate in every day of the week. Prior to the week, each of the four classes created a music video, singing along to a Disney classic. The videos were played on the news on Monday for Chargers to vote for their favorite. During the Homecoming rally on Friday, the winning grade was revealed: the senior class. Other games throughout the week included a “Guess the Song Title” activity and “star gazing.” In the former, ASB blasted songs over the intercom, and classrooms would compete to call in and say the correct song title. In the latter, five students and faculty wore large gold stars around their necks, and the goal of the game was for students to take a picture with all five.
The decoration also began early, as ASB decorated the school halls with dangling stars and flourishing musical note designs throughout the week. Dazzling banners embellished the walls with bold drawings to transform Leland into a realm of
“La La Land,” according to Sophomore Kashvi Garg.
Aside from the games and rally, Homecoming royalty is another element of the American Homecoming experience. This year, ASB introduced new, unique royalty nomination categories, attempting to break away from traditional popularity-dominated nominations. The titles carried the theme of “La La Land" into Homecoming nominations as the positions resembled gender-neutral Academy Awards instead of strict, gender-based titles. Instead of traditional titles like “King” and “Queen,” two seniors could be elected for “Best Leading Performance.” Next, “Best Supporting Performance” replaced “Prince” and “Princess”; four Chargers from each grade were elected for this category. “Best Scriptwriter” was awarded based on intelligence, r “Best Comedy Performance" went to the funniest Charger, “Best Visual Performance” was for the most charismatic and talented student and “Best Costume” went to the best dressed. Finally, students could nominate their most athletic peer for “Best Stunt Performance.”
Instead of traditional Homecoming courts that nominated students who were primarily recognized for their popularity, the new nomination positions focused more on students’ qualities and achievements. These descriptive titles allowed for a wider range of students to be nominated for positions that better illustrated and represented their characters, according to Junior Kabir Gupta.
“Being nominated for Supporting Performance was really exciting as I was not expecting it at first, but I was grateful to be considered by my peers. I think branching out from typical Homecoming titles creates a more inclusive position that anyone can relate to, even if they do not resonate with a gendered title.This new change is important to give every student a fair chance at winning royalty and feeling seen,” Junior Bella Brumana said.
Overall, this year's Homecoming dance, while visually appealing, left some students feeling underwhelmed. However, the new, innovative approach to the Homecoming court was a step toward inclusivity and helped reduce typical popularity-based nominations. This flip in royalty nominations might mark a further change for more inclusivity, leaving behind the traditional popularity-based nominations.
Homecoming by Nirupama Shivakumar
Sparkling lights flash on the dance floor, music blasts through the halls and students dance in the cafeteria. Whether it was watching a movie in the GBA, enjoying snacks or drinks, or taking pictures in the photo booth, ASB made it an unforgettable night. The laughter and joy of many students had the time of their lives at the annual school dance. Everyone found something special for them at the “LaLa Leland Homecoming,”
According to ASB, the school was close to selling out of tickets and had almost a full cafeteria at the dance. Drinks such as punch, mocktails, and more were available for students to enjoy. Students could watch a viewing of La La Land in the GBA as well as use the rotating photo booth. They also had several decorations such as a large “Seb’s” sign, which is inspired by the hit film “La La Land” and a variety of streamers and balloon arches marking the entryway.
Sophomore Pranav Nayak was on the ASB team for planning this event. “For the theme, we were trying to choose between a few different themes such as Under the Sea and other themes like that. So, we decided during WOW week to let the students vote on what they wanted the theme to be, which was La La Land,” he said. Nayak also mentioned that the event took about a month to plan, and that ASB did not have to change much since last year’s hoco, since the theme was Hollywood.
The dance is an extremely popular tradition at the school that has been continued for years. Across the country, Homecoming is extremely popular and gives people the opportunity to dress up, take pictures, and create a memorable high school experience. It fosters connection between students since it allows them to celebrate school spirit together and spend a night with each other that does not partake in educational content. It gives them a chance to expand beyond the classroom and have fun without having the stress of homework, assignments, and tests. It fosters a deeper bond that is not just based on learning.
Junior Ishan Shetter attended homecoming as he believes it is a core part of his high school experience. “It is fun to dress up and take pictures with your friends, and I really like the social aspect of it. It is always super fun to mosh and I am glad I have one more year to participate,” he mentioned.
Homecoming also featured a new way of giving awards. According to ASB Senior Zadela Valero, the point of having new nominations based on Academy Awards rather than the traditional royalty was to have a more gender-neutral approach to homecoming. ASB felt it would be better to use these labels to create an inclusive environment for all students and make everyone feel welcome. Furthermore, the new royalty labels also fit into the theme of La La Land very well, so it allowed for a smooth integration into the celebrations. Some categories included an Academy Award for Best Director, an Oscar for Leading Performance, an Academy Award for Best Scriptwriter, and Academy Award for Best Comedy Performance.
“We didn’t have any games, but we had a rotating and normal photo booth. There were lots of drinks for students to choose from and we also had a bunch of decorations,” Valero said.
Apart from the balloons and streamers, there was a disco ball, and ASB put stars on teachers doors with their names on it to add to the moviemaking theme. Senior Aneri Shah attended homecoming as she did for the past 3 years, and found it to be a fun experience.
“I participated because it is my senior year and I wanted to enjoy a night with my friends. I enjoyed the moshpit and dancing with the rest of the school. Compared to last year, I liked this theme better and the movie that was played in the GBA,” Shah said.
About the Contributors
Lauren Law
Writer
I like to listen to music and hang out with friends. My favorite artists are SZA and Drake
Nirupama Shivakumar
Writer
Catherine Nguyen
Artist
Catherine Nguyen is a staff writer and artist for the Charger account. This is her second year in journalism. She loves drawing and listening to music.
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