Clearly, Homecoming was a hit.
After homecoming week came to a close at the end of September, Student Council tore down wall hangings, folded up tables and stashed dozens of decorations in the closet, marking the end of a busy season. Plans looming in horizon ran the gamut, but they certainly did not include running another dance.
“[The idea] didn’t even cross our mind,” said StuCo president Anna Killpack, senior.
FHC had other ideas. According to Killpack, Principal Dr. Sonny Arnel and Activities Director Scott Harris had expressed an interest in having another formal event to boost school spirit. So when students started campaigning for a “second homecoming” on Facebook and Twitter, it was hard to say no.
“Obviously, [school administration] said yes,” Killpack said.
Since then, StuCo has sprung into action. First on the list? Polling the student body to determine the type of dance. Students have asked for both a formal and casual dress winter formal, and a Sadie Hawkins – in which girls ask boys to the dance – format has been repeatedly requested. To settle the matter, StuCo set up an online poll where anyone can vote for the type of dress and format.
The poll, which can be found here, had 175 responses as of Tuesday morning, with formal winning by a large margin and Sadie Hawkins barely beating out traditional. It will be open until 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3.
Still, making the dance a reality will be a challenge in itself. The major obstacle Killpack expressed is the somewhat depressing history of the winter formal (or coronation, as it has been called in the past).
“Even since the school started it, it had declined,” said Killpack. The last time StuCo attempted the dance, in current seniors’ freshman year, only seven tickets were sold.
The votes in the poll are heartening, but future student involvement is still key. Although Killpack said that StuCo has a profit account that can fully cover the cost of a winter formal, it will need to sell at least 533 tickets to break even. By comparison, tickets for Homecoming sold out, at a total of 1500 tickets – the maximum allowed by fire code standards.
“If we can sell 750 [tickets], that would be good,” Killpack said.
Specific plans for the dance are still up in the air and will be released as Student Council votes on them. Any students who would like to provide input on the dance or ask questions can tweet to Killpack, @AKillpack19.