In the evening hours of Friday, Oct. 21, administrators pushed open the doors to the Blue Gym to commence South Forsyth High School’s 2022 Homecoming Dance. Blue, white, and purple balloons bounced on the ceiling and multicolored lights showered the crowd while streamers strung down the walls and music blared from the DJ stand.
To top it all off, disco balls hung from the ceiling to truly embody this year’s theme of “disco.”
Angela Tan, a senior at South, setting up decorations for the Homecoming Dance at SFHS’s Blue Gym in Cumming, GA. on Friday, Oct. 21, 2022. South Forsyth’s student council arrived at the gym before the dance and arranged the various decorations. (Maggie Craig)
On one side of the gym, the student council lined tables with water bottles, chip bags, and cookies. On the other end of the room sat couches and chairs for people to rest their feet. They also set up backdrops in multiple places for students to take pictures with whomever they like.
Homecoming or Home-going?
Even with all the flashy lights and trending music playing through the speakers, Homecoming wasn’t necessarily everything one might expect it to be. South students had mixed experiences, with some recounting a fun-filled night with lots of dancing and laughter, while others recalled a boring night that could be improved upon.
Praneeth Yalamanchili, a senior at South, was in the first group. He said he enjoyed “getting to spend time with [his] friends” as they “had a lot of fun on the dance floor.”
Yalamanchili said an early dinner “allowed us as friends to converse and connect over a meal, while the dance itself [allowed] us to let loose and have fun in a completely different way.”
On the other hand, Grace Forero, a freshman at South, suggested ideas for various aspects of the dance that could be changed.
“I thought [the Homecoming dance] was boring … I felt they could put more effort into it to make it better,” Forero said. “[They should] add more [activities] to do.”
Similarly, Kevin Lu, a junior at South, also shared his thoughts on the events of the night.
“It was boring how everyone just stood there and talked,” Lu said. “There really wasn’t anything interesting. [They should] have something for us to do instead of just talking to people for an extended period of time.”
With the crowdedness of the gym, a “mosh pit” was born.
“It was in a gym, and everyone was very closely packed together,” Lu said, adding the dance should be done “in the plaza or any open space.”
While it indefinitely raised students’ spirits as they came together and relinquished weeks of stress with friends, it was also common for people to become collateral damage of “rough” dancing while being stepped on and pushed around.
Words of Wisdom
While there’s no right way to enjoy a school dance, those who enjoyed Homecoming ’22 also walked away with thoughts on how to make next year’s celebration the best it can be.
“This was my first Homecoming…so I would advise [other students] to spend time with your friends before going to the dance to make it a more memorable experience,” advised Leah Scherer, a sophomore student at South.
When asked what the most memorable moment of the night was, Forero responded by saying, “when they carried the kids on their shoulders, and they were running around,” tying in the whole “classic homecoming” vibe.
At the end of the day, Yalamanchili shared a cheerful piece of advice for future freshmen, encouraging them to “just have fun!” He said they “will come to cherish these nights as [they] move through high school,” ultimately uplifting them to “make the most of it.”
Disco-ing Home
This year, students from all different grade levels eagerly participated in South festivities and showed their South spirit. From spirit week to the Homecoming game, students rocked their Adam Sandler looks and cheered on the football team as they represented South pride.
To top it off, South’s War Eagles won the Homecoming game by a landslide on Thursday night. On Friday night, the students dressed up in fancy suits and dresses as they attended the Homecoming dance at South and celebrated the representatives on the Homecoming Court.
“The DJ was really good this year and the setup in the gym was fun to see. I loved being able to hang out with my friends and see everyone having a blast,” said junior Jackson Waddell. “Compared to last year’s Homecoming, the music was way better, and the dance took place inside which I really liked. Overall, it was a great night, and I would most definitely go again.”
Overall, South students were elated to spend time with their friends and break some dance moves on the disco-themed dance floor.
The Bird Feed is the student news site of South Forsyth High School. We serve the student body by providing timely and relevant content to our readers.
We place an emphasis on objective news, but The Bird Feed does have a character that represents our staff which we will present occasionally. We also give significance to multimedia and believe that it is vital to maintaining a diverse and engaging news site.
Maggie Craig is currently a senior at SFHS and is super excited to be this year's Editor-in-Chief for The Bird Feed. If she isn’t writing stories, you will find her jamming out on her guitar or ukulele. She is a performer at heart and is a member of the voice company at RISPA. Maggie loves musicals such as Waitress and Miss Saigon. In her spare time, she binge-watches anime and plays on her Nintendo Switch. Never hesitate to approach her and say hello because she loves meeting new people. You can contact her through her email @[email protected] or through her Twitter @Smrcraig108.
