By Olivia Foraker

Staff Writer

 “Our sales have decreased a little bit. There is another homecoming that people are going to, and with the outside stuff,” said Student Council Vice President Gabrielle Lynd.  “People are hesitant to go as well as the no heels.” This year, 560 tickets were sold in comparison to an estimated 800-900 two years ago. 

While Student Council members and advisers alike revealed that the 2021 homecoming was successful, statistics demonstrate that there was a significant decrease in sales.

 Freshman Student Council member Cinzia Fowler said that the student body is upset due to the price of tickets. Although the twenty dollar price for a single ticket is the same as previous years, the option for the double’s ticket discount was not offered this year. In the past, attendees could purchase a double’s ticket for $30. 

Student Council adviser Jane Dennish told The Leonid that she was pleased overall. 

“It was a lot more successful than I expected it to be outside,” said Mrs. Dennish. “The only downside was the wind.” 

Mrs. Dennish said that $2,300 worth of balloons were purchased for the event; however, none of them could be put up due to the weather, and she expressed her distaste in this. 

Mrs. Dennish said that those in attendance enjoyed the dance despite the unusual conditions. 

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The Leonid Reporter Recalls Homecoming on Horn Field

By Shana Carey

Co-Editor in Chief

Walking around Horn Field barefoot and almost dying in a mosh pit is not exactly what I expected for my senior year homecoming, but it was unforgettable nonetheless. 

Going into senior year, I was unsure whether student council would even host a homecoming or not. Always looking for an excuse to get ridiculously dressed up, I anticipated the worst.

Upon hearing that the homecoming dance was occurring outside this year, I initially thought the idea was an interesting way to encourage social distancing. I also had the impression that having homecoming outside was an exciting opportunity that probably won’t happen again. 

This was all good and fun until I got to the dance floor and had the stark realization just how big Horn Field actually is. A couple hundred students gathered on the 50 yard line with just enough room between them to put their hands in the air. The remaining people spread out across the field in awkward looking clumps. 

Initially in one of those clumps filled with band kids, I just enjoyed being surrounded by my friends. It didn’t matter to me that we were outside under the daytime-like football lights because I had the opportunity to joke with the people I’ve grown closest with over the past four years. 

As our clump looked to the mosh pit, we observed a screaming friend of ours crowd surfing multiple times as a freshman jumped onto the retaining wall and danced while everyone watched in awe. These two boys were promptly met by multiple administrators warning them to behave. 

These shenanigans were what made my senior homecoming memorable. 

Absolutely determined to say hello to one of my friends that was in the very middle of the scary conglomeration of people dancing, I pushed and elbowed my way straight to her. In the middle of the circle, I saw some of my dearest friends from elementary school having the time of their life. 

Seeing their smiling faces and people laughing louder than the DJ equipment truly made my evening. 

At the end of the obscure night, the DJ played the first slow song as couples and groups of people swayed back and forth in a more spread out fashion. 

The students begged for one more song and screamed excitedly when the DJ granted their wishes. However, teachers promptly stopped the final song from finishing and sent everyone home unsatiated. 

All in all, it doesn’t matter whether homecoming was in the gym or on the field. It doesn’t matter that it was like broad daylight with the football lights turned on. And it doesn’t matter that half the students were clumped together with no breathing room while the others were miles away. 

I’m glad that I had the opportunity to dance and enjoy the company of my friends. Homecoming isn’t about the decor or location, but it’s about celebrating and just having a good time. 

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The Leonid Staff Writer Attends Private Homecoming

By Emma Billets

Staff Writer

My final homecoming looked a lot different from what I expected. First of all, it wasn’t even at my school. It was in a church. The dance was held at The York First Church of the Brethren on Kingston Road on Saturday Oct. 16 from 7-10 p.m. Senior Red Lion student Adelinn Banzaca organized a homecoming for the public due to the restrictions of the school’s organized dance. 

The reason I decided to attend this dance instead of my school’s homecoming, is because it was being held indoors on a cold and windy night instead of being outside, outside guests were allowed, and the tickets were very affordable at only 10 dollars for a single ticket and 15 dollars for a double ticket. 

As I pulled into the parking lot of the church, I saw way more cars than I thought there were going to be. I walked in and saw so many different people. It was nice that this homecoming was not only open to Red Lion students, but other students and even older people who aren’t in high school anymore. 

As I started to seek out friends, I heard music, but it wasn’t very loud. Everyone gathered into their cliques and were talking and enjoying the refreshments that were provided. There were gatorades, water, cookies, and chips. The table had glowing decorations including a whole box of glow sticks and connectors for people to wear during the dance. 

A little bit of time passed and the music got louder as the lights went out. It took everyone a good half hour to get comfortable enough to move up to the front of the gymnasium and start dancing. The music and lights really set the mood for people to get up and dance. The music choice was pretty good! They had a mix of all different types of music for everyone to enjoy. 

There were confetti balloons, LED lights, photo backdrops, and a loudspeaker. Honestly, I feel this homecoming was a huge success and was so much fun. Having the choice to bring someone who you couldn’t bring to the school’s homecoming was so nice and being indoors was also a huge bonus. Everyone was able to wear whatever they wanted and listen to whatever music they wanted without judgement. It seemed like a lot of people had a great time and the dance was an overall great experience and huge success for the guests and the provider.