At 7:00 PM on Saturday, September 29, 2018, the students of Dublin High School all gathered in the sports complex to party the night away for homecoming finale. Everyone was sporting fancy clothing and gathering to party, dance, and simply hang out with friends.

Many groups met up somewhere before the dance, whether it was at a friend’s house or at a restaurant. A large number of students came to Heritage Park to take pictures before the dance, posting them on social media a few days later. Students then walked to school for the dance. By 6:45, the lines had stretched deep into the parking lot. Those who had brought three cans of food got to bypass the general line. It was well worth it. Standing in the regular line meant waiting a good 20-30 minutes just to get in.

As the gym began to fill up, the festive atmosphere grew. In the spirit of homecoming, each corner of the room had little decorations for each corresponding class. The juniors had a mini jungle set up, while the seniors fashioned a small fake campfire made out of tissue paper. But the center of the floor was where the real fun happened. Confetti was flying through the air, and the DJ was equipped with a smoke cannon; he played some seriously bass-boosted music. Students were jumping up and down, dancing, singing along with the music, and even getting thrown into mosh pits.

However, the party did not just take place indoors. There was plenty to do outside as well. In fact, many students spent the majority of their time outside. There was a bean bag toss area, a Mustache Mike’s Italian Ice food truck, a ping pong table, a souvenir picture station, and tables where you could just sit down and take a break.

“Our homecoming dance was good in my opinion because I got to dance and have fun with my friends,” said Madison Franke, a junior. “The music was not the greatest but I just sang along and enjoyed the time.”

“It was great how a lot of people showed up this time,” Homecoming King nominee Paulo Diaz said. When asked how this year’s dance was compared to previous years, he stated, “This dance was just as good as any. However, there was a need for a greater diversity of music. I feel like it really only applied to certain groups of people.”

“The dance could be described as ‘meh’,” said Joshua Dang, a sophomore. “It’s fun if you bring friends and such, but on its own, the dance is just basically a large room with lights and really loud music (and sweaty people. Lots of sweaty people). But as long as you bring friends, it’s decently enjoyable.” When asked about the quality of the music, he stated, “I can’t rate the music, because they bass-boosted the songs to the point where all you could hear were the vague grunting noises and the occasional ‘ayyy’ from the DJ.”

The dance could have been improved. Many students, including Diaz, Franke, and Dang, would agree that the quality of the music was not up to standard. With much of it being rap, it did not appeal to the majority of those who attended. Most of the students who had a blast were rap enthusiasts and were moshing and dancing, while the others who stood on the edges of the crowd or hung out outside had a less memorable night. A lot of students were also expecting food. As hungry teenagers who’d spent the night dancing and sweating, many agreed that more food trucks would have made the dance a lot more enjoyable. Consequently, the majority of the students who attended would not describe the dance as outstanding.

With the lack of food at the dance, by 10:00 PM, everyone was starving. As a result, a lot of students showed up at IHOP to end the night with a meal. Being open until midnight, it was the perfect place for a large group of sweltering high school kids to go finish out the night.

Overall, the dance brought groups of people together. Amidst the bass-boosted music, the dancing, and the delicious Italian ice, spending time with friends was the highlight of the night, as many attendees, including Franke and Dang, would agree. As the biggest and last event of homecoming, the dance brought the four classes together as one, setting aside the competitive nature of the night rally and the parade. Whether it be regarding juniors, seniors, sophomores, or freshmen, everyone was included, and as a result, everyone enjoyed this fantastic homecoming finale.