Freshmen’s First Homecoming Dance

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Maddy Conley

The drone show announced the juniors’ Homecoming Week victory.

Since Freshman Orientation, the annual Homecoming Dance has been discussed by freshmen left and right. And after last year’s performance by Soulja Boy at the event in May, the question remained: Who’s next, and will they trump Soulja Boy?

Being their first homecoming dance, freshmen didn’t know what to expect. With their transition into high school, it might have seemed too early for a distraction. Perhaps holding it earlier in the school year was just what the freshmen needed to grasp what Dublin High is all about – school spirit! 

Homecoming Week was packed with dress-up days, competitions, and after-school events, all of which lead to the main event, the dance. Attendees were promised a drone show, multiple food vendors, arcade games, free photobooths, and a surprise musical artist. 

Students were permitted access past the Gael Stadium gate at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 1st, all dressed to impress. After a quick, mandatory bag-search and ID-check, the students either filled the field or scoped out the many food trucks and stations. Some of the available food and beverages included a wide variety of churros, pizza, hotdogs, cupcakes, Korean pork sliders, tacos, and smoothies. Dublin High certainly made this year’s freshmen expect a great deal in the future years. 

Left to enjoy the rest of their evening, students danced, sang, took pictures, and played arcade games. Halfway through the night, artist NLE Choppa took the stage and the crowd went wild. The prominent rapper performed for 45 minutes and was a popular highlight for many. 

When asked how her experiences at the dance may have differed from a senior’s, Callie McLoughlin stated, “The seniors’ experiences were more sentimental, and for freshmen the dance was completely new.” This was relatable to many students, which is why the school was left stunned after the juniors were revealed the winners of Homecoming Week 2022. The seniors are known to win Homecoming Week almost every year, and it came as a shock to many that this was no longer the case. 

“I was super surprised about all the things there were to do at Homecoming and it exceeded my expectations. I really liked the arcade games. I wasn’t a huge fan of the music and had a hard time hearing much of it, but it was a lot of fun overall,” said Eli Nultemeier, another freshman Gael. 

After NLE Choppa’s performance ended, students spread-out across the field and awaited the drone show. The show was colorful, diverse, and was a relaxing wind-down before the night ended.

At 10:00 p.m., the dance came to a close and students headed home. It felt surreal that Homecoming Week was over, and that it would be an entire year before experiencing this again.