On Saturday, October 11th, Essex High School hosted its first homecoming dance since 2022. A multitude of people played a role in the event including administration, members of Student Government, and chaperones.
Art teacher Keri-Anne Lesure attended as both a photographer and a chaperone.
“There needs to be a certain number of chaperones to be able to host a dance/event,” Lesure said. “I believe that number depends on the number of students that will be attending.”
Without the right number of chaperones, as well as a school nurse on site, student events like this year’s homecoming dance wouldn’t happen.
Cari Papp, who teaches Computer and Careers at EHS, also chaperoned. This was her first time chaperoning a school dance since 1999.
“I thought the dance went very well,” Papp said. “Students were engaged, happy, and seemed excited to be there. Everyone got along, there was very little drama.”
Instead of purchasing a traditional ticket to the dance, students were asked to bring canned goods for entry or pay a small fee of $5. Over 400 hundred tickets were sold and 271.15lbs of canned goods were collected and donated to Aunt Dot’s.
The gym was full of colorful party lights, string lights, tables, chairs, snacks, and light up signs. The decor, which was organized and executed by the student government, was also appreciated by Papp.
“I thought the decor was great and the lighting was appropriate for a dance,” Papp said. “Perhaps more students will attend next time and the entire gym will be used to host the large crowd!”
Another key part of any high school dance is the DJ. Between chaperones and students, there were differing opinions on the music played at this year’s homecoming.
Lesure and Papp shared similar, positive reviews of the music choices this year.
“It had a great variety of fast and slower music, and it seemed like students were enjoying the music choices,” Lesure said. “The dance area was full the majority of the night.”
Mia Santaniello, EHS junior, found the dance fun but did not share the same sentiments of Lesure and Papp regarding the music.
“Some of the songs definitely weren’t the best,” Santaniello said. “Nobody really knew them, and I also didn’t really like how he kept the song on for so long, because then it kind of just got overplayed.”
Another student who attended the homecoming dance, junior Tessa Mayer, thought the dance was fun but did get a little boring by the end.
Despite this, both Santaniello and Mayer said they believe the dance was generally liked by students, and said they would both attend if there is another homecoming dance next year.
“I thought it was really fun,” Santaniello said. “I had a great time with my friends and made a lot of memories.”
