Homecoming: Safety Hazard – Dance Relocation Sparks Controversey

José Valdivia, Op-Ed Editor|October 22, 2018

Bodies pressed together, the smell of putrid sweat in the air, hardly any space to inhale: this was the common sight of SVHS’ Homecoming at the Boys and Girls Club (BGC) last year.

  Leadership student Kaishalee Baez, senior, explained that last year, the BGC posed a “fire hazard” with “100 tickets oversold.” In an emergency, the building would have been too full to take any actions.

  This year, like 2015, the Homecoming Dance took place at Pfeiffer Gym instead of the BGC. A choice which, according to Baez, made “some upset.”

  At first, I thought this decision to be irrational and frustrating. One appeal of Homecoming was its distance from the high school, which separated it from school dances.

  Preceded by a plethora of festivities, like Float Fest—breeding competition between each class—and the massively-attended football game, Homecoming is arguably more glorified than Prom.

  So I had concerns about the dance’s new location: I was worried that the dance would be too monitored with restrictive regulations and that the special feeling of Homecoming would be lost.

  The safer and more spacious Pfeiffer Gym presented concerns for other students, especially seniors attending their final high school Homecoming. Benny Hernandez, senior, described the gym as “disgustingly hot” and messily decorated with “tarps everywhere.”

  Additionally, concerned by illegal substances, administration decided to turn up the lights mid-dance, a decision which killed the mood of the night. Following the lights-on, there were fiery dragon roars demanding that the lights be dimmed. About 30 minutes after complaints, the lights were turned off and the dance raved on.

  Despite issues with the gym, as well as the BGC seeming less ‘homey’ for seniors, who spend their lives at SVHS, Pfeiffer was the safest choice for the dance. As a test-run for years to come, the leadership class can make adjustments to improve air conditioning, spacing, and attendance, while ensuring students’ safety at a school dance.