Each year, from September to October, my social media feed is filled with pictures and videos from homecoming dances. Nationwide, private and public schools alike organize dances that bring students together for a night of fun and celebration. CESJDS’ lack of a homecoming dance makes us miss out on a significant high school experience.
A JDS tradition that dates back to before the 1980s is the senior prom, which is highly anticipated by many. Prom is a beloved tradition at JDS as it marks the end of high school. But, in addition to prom, JDS should have a homecoming for all high school grades.
A key aspect of homecoming is fostering in-person interaction. According to the Pew Research Center, most teen interactions are online, with 88% of adolescents using their phones to contact friends. Homecoming promotes in-person interaction and social-emotional learning, which can be achieved effectively when young adults are surrounded by others their age.
Additionally, spending time with teens in other grades is a great way to gain insight from people in different stages of their high school experience, especially those you usually get a chance to surround yourself with. JDS holds grade-wide events, but they do not have any school-wide dances that can bring us together as a high school community.
Another important reason to consider hosting a homecoming dance is the value of Kehillah, or community, which is one of JDS’ core values. An event like homecoming would allow students to come together as a community during the event itself and during the excitement leading up to it.
Although JDS does not have a traditional homecoming dance, previous events have been held in the past all under different names, such as FOCO (fake homecoming), semi-formal and “Morp” (prom backwards). Despite these attempts, the dances never were a large success. A Lion’s Tale article from 2018 cited that attendance at Morp averaged 25 people per year. The same article said the 2018 semi-formal had 175 attendees, making it much more successful.
The semi-formal was also a big hit because it was held off campus at Ohr Kodesh Congregation and had a dressy attire. The dances that were held at JDS were unsuccessful because students felt that the atmosphere was too similar to everyday life at school and did not enhance the themes of the events.
Semi-formal was planned by the Class of 2019 grade government, which helped ensure student input and ideas were taken into account. If JDS were to hold a homecoming dance, it could be planned by upperclassmen again or by all grade governments collectively.
Although JDS does not have a football team, we could still hold a homecoming dance during the fall season like other schools nationwide so that it does not overlap with prom season but is still just as special. Not only would this tradition enhance our school’s culture, but it would also give students a chance to foster school spirit and bring us together.
