Homecoming should be anywhere but the quad

Homecoming over the years has changed to different places in the school. The last two years homecoming has been in the quad which is in the middle of the school outside in the fresh air.

While it was a requirement for the 2020-2021 school year for homecoming to be in the quad because of Covid-19, I think they should move it back to the gym.

At Rialto High School the mask mandate and the temperature checks have all been removed along with more slack in cleaning constantly and distance between students. Due to the removal of mandates it should be moved back to the gym since Covid-19 is not as big of a threat anymore.

During the 2019-2020 school year homecoming was in the gym. As a person who went during freshman year, I can say it was fun. There was cotton candy, popcorn, a photo booth, cute couches and tables. ASB decorated very well and the Dj music could be heard from every corner.

Last school year, 2021-2022, homecoming was in the quad and afterwards some were unhappy. Senior Airam Diaz was a junior at the time and said “everyone was everywhere and half the people weren’t participating. It didn’t feel like a dance just because they had decorations and music.”

Senior Yanelly Aguilar said that homecoming was better in the quad than the gym because the theme and decorations fit better in an outdoor setting while in the gym the themes don’t match very well.

In the gym since it's an enclosed space the music is everywhere and no matter where you are it can be heard. In the quad, since it's an open space the music is only really loud right next to the Dj.

Having homecoming in the quad does give students more space and fresh air which is great. In the gym it does get musty and hot so having it outdoors in the October air is nice and refreshing.

However, the vibes aren't as good in the quad as in the gym. The ambiance isn’t as lively and engaging since everyone is so spread out across the middle of the school.

There are very many pros and cons to having homecoming in the gym but I think it would be more enjoyable and lively if it was in the gym like all the years before.

Another suggestion would be to have homecoming somewhere outside of school. Many schools in the 90s and 2000s had their homecomings outside of the school campus. I asked family members who went to other schools in the Inland Empire and many of their homecomings weren’t at school. However, relatives who went to RHS said that they didn’t like the fact that their homecoming was at the school.

ASB charges quite a bit for tickets, packages, ASB cards and many other things that they should have enough funds to have homecoming somewhere else other than on the school campus.

Homecoming is a fun time for students to be with their friends, therefore, having it in the lively gym where they can forget about the outside world for a little while is a good idea. Or having it completely away from school so students feel comfortable and happy to go to an event without feeling like they are just at school again is another good idea.

In the future, Rialto High School ASB should reconsider having homecoming in the quad and instead have it in the gym or completely away from school.

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