Chapel Hill High School’s first homecoming dance in three years took place on October 8, featuring everything from balloons to backflips.
The event was made possible by the collective effort of the student government, school administrators and parent volunteers. The student government’s efforts were led by faculty advisor and math teacher Keith Cooper and president Emily Kilgallen.
Kilgallen said she wanted to bring back a “feeling of normalcy,” especially after COVID.
The dance attracted more students than planners originally anticipated, and the event was moved to the school’s upper gym given the unexpected number of ticket sales. Killgallen estimated roughly 700 tickets were sold.
“At one point, the line to enter the dance was all the way down the sidewalk, extending into the parking lot!” principal Charles Blanchard wrote in an email.
Attendees were required to present their ticket and state their name before being permitted to enter; the large crowd made entering the dance a slow process.
“The way that the ticket system was done was really weird: you had your ticket, but you still had to have your name on the list,” junior Ella Smith said. “My partner had a ticket, and it still took like seven minutes because they weren’t on the list.”
After attendees entered, they were greeted by parent volunteers working a coat and bag check. The cafeteria had baked goods and other snacks, as well as a refreshment stand with water, lemonade and sweet tea. The DJ was set up in the upper gym with bright lights.
One of the notable events of the evening came as sophomore Andrew Combs performed a backflip, which was captured in multiple videos.
“He was super cool and has been doing it since middle school,” sophomore Gina Barberio said. “I always look forward to seeing it at dances.”
The cafeteria was decorated for the dance with photos, balloons in the school colors, gold tablecloths and lights strung across the ceiling.
Students said they had fun at the school event. “[The dance] was really fun!” sophomore Anna Faison said.
Junior Peyton Battle echoed Faison’s sentiments.
“I had a great time,” she said. “It was definitely a great way to connect with my friends after all the work we had. I enjoyed it.”
Some students did express disappointment that guests from other high schools were not allowed to attend homecoming.
“Next time, [they should] let dates from other schools come,” sophomore Molina Patino said
Killgallen said the policy barring guests from other schools has been a longstanding tradition.
“Only Chapel Hill students have been allowed to attend the homecoming dance for as long as our advisor, Mr. Cooper, can remember,” she said, adding that dance organizers “just [didn’t] t have the time to approve all of the outside guests,” especially with the unexpectedly high turnout.
The turnout also meant that, prior to the dance itself, students had to navigate long lunch lines to purchase or pick up their tickets. “I waited all lunch Tuesday for my ticket and didn’t get it, so I had to go back Thursday,” junior Felix Garrett said.
Whether it involved picking up or purchasing tickets, planning and coordinating outfits or dancing to V.I.C.’s “Wobble,” homecoming proved to be an event students will remember.
