Homecoming is a beloved event held here at De Pere High School; however, the date has been changed to late September, and students aren’t pleased with the adjustment.
Sarah Hardy, the Homecoming advisor, said that the Homecoming dates were changed entirely because of the football schedule. Since De Pere didn’t have any home games in October this year, the administrators were forced to move the Homecoming dance up to September.
Besides the date, all Homecoming activities are to remain the same as previous years with the addition of an event that fits with this year’s theme – Cartoon mania. The new event is a cartoon figure find, which will take place each day this week.
“I think we have a little less time to prepare,” Mrs. Hardy said. “But I think the hype is there, everyone is at school and looking forward to Homecoming.”
She also praised the Homecoming crew for all their hard work around planning the event and overcoming the challenges that came with it. Finally, when asked if the Homecoming date will stay the same, she responded by saying it will be influenced by the football schedule next year.
Freshman Ivy Bauer believes that the Homecoming date this year is extremely early, but it won’t stop her from attending the dance.
“It’s a little bit early, but it’s OK,” Bauer said. “There’s less hype about it because it’s moved so far forward that you don’t have any time to prepare. You just have to get right into it.”
Although some people aren’t as affected by the early date, many are stressed about shopping for apparel, as dresses, suits, shoes, and various accessories are all ordered before the event.
Caitlyn Gillman, a junior, commented about how the early date affected her shopping.
“We had to plan ahead a lot and start dress shopping in the summer instead of being able to settle into the school year a little bit,” she said.
Generally most students interviewed thought that the Homecoming date was very early in comparison to previous years, and when asked, most students said the date should be changed back to October. However, Senior, Renna Lundstrom, has a more positive outlook on the event.
“It really starts the school year strong with school spirit, but there are some drawbacks with the early date,” she said.
She anticipates the Homecoming event turnouts should be evaluated before deciding if the date should be altered.
Photo gallery by Aiden Hoey and Cass Cook
