The sweetest Homecoming

Ashley Traboulsi and Alexis Traboulsi embrace on the dance floor.

BY NADIA DERING

On October 15, juniors and seniors celebrated the start of the school year at Homecoming, an annual event held in the main cafeteria filled with dancing, great food, and new memories.

The Candyland theme brought sweetness and cheer to the 750 students who attended. “I enjoyed hanging out with my friends and dancing on the dance floor,” said senior Annabelle Boetang.

A big, vibrant sign and a colorful walkway leading to the cafeteria highlighted the entrance. Bright fairy lights in the hallway gave the entrance an ethereal glow. “I thought it was a really cute theme,” said senior Samantha Ciaccia. “It made the place look colorful and welcoming.”

Anastasia Galagoza, Brianna Pagliuca, and Ashlyne Agneta dance as they sing the music.

The woodshop classes and teachers carefully handcrafted the decor. “I cut out the candy land sign and all the pieces of candy that were hung up on the wall,” said senior woodshop student Luke Reklaitis. “Figuring out the correct design and dimensions was the hard part. Cutting it out was fairly easy.”

Samantha Ciaccia and Anthony Ruiz received the crowns and titles of Homecoming King and Queen. “Samantha and I have been dating for a while, but we were surprised we won because of how many people applied for the position.” said Ruiz.

The attendees enjoyed dressing up and making long-lasting memories with friends. “I was dancing with my friends to the hype club music,” said junior Milana Moiseyeva. “I couldn’t stop laughing and smiling and it will forever be a memory engraved in my brain.”

Neveah Godoy and Justin Barkaszi walk down the candy path.

Students crowd-surfed, jumped, danced, and sang the music loudly. “I think it was super wholesome and cool,” said junior Ethan Decoteau. “It was cool to see people I did not even know were excited to be a part of Homecoming ending up having a lot of fun.”

The DJ played lively music that electrified the room. “It was a really good mix of everything,” shared junior Miley Vargas. “It was not overly focused on sing-along songs or songs you’d mainly want to dance to. It had a nice balance of both.”

The space included a photo booth, dinner, and a chocolate fountain, which added further entertainment to the eventful night. “I never enjoyed strawberries with chocolate until eating from the chocolate fountain,” stated junior Saadhana Dara. “It was really tasty.”

Students too advantage of the opportunity to relax and enjoy. “I loved being able to let loose and be myself around my friends,” shared Lia Palmeri. “Being able to scream my heart out was freeing.”

Samantha Ciaccia, Antonio Ruiz, and Emma Jones wait for the announcement of Homecoming Queen and King.
Isabella Nowicki and Riley Olivo laugh as they dance to the music.
Trevor Koop and Samantha Butler follow the colorful path to the dance.
Olivia Garcia and Ileany Encarnacion Castellanos shimmy on the dance floor.