Homecoming 2023

   Ingraham’s homecoming this year was at the Pacific Science Center. Students were excited to see what the venue would bring, since it was different from previous venues, like the Magnuson Hangar. The dinosaur exhibit was unfortunately not open to students, but the planet area and butterfly room were open, and students were able to walk around them. The theme for the dance was western, naming it the “Homecoming Hoedown.” The number of cowboy hats present was very high and lots of western style looks were seen at the dance. This theme also inspired a few country songs to be played, attracting large crowds to the dance floor. 

       Students have a variety of opinions on the dance. When asked what they thought of the dance, one junior said that “it was fun to go into the butterfly room” but other than that, it had “horrible music” with a typical “tinny” sound. Another student said that she didn’t go to the dance at all because “all of the dances in the past were just kind of boring” so she didn’t want to go. Usually, our dances have little to no decorations, with a DJ and a designated dancing area. Anyone that’s been to one of Ingraham’s dances knows they aren’t anything like what is in the movies and it’s just a bunch of people all clustered together forming a mosh pit type scene. Because of the various areas you could go to at the venue this time, the dancing area was more calm than usual. Also, not everyone had a negative take on the dance. One student said how he thought that “the dance was chill, the music was nice, and the venue was lit” while another said they had a great time. One thing that has always been the situation at our dances is the absence of food and drinks. A sophomore who usually goes to the dances said she “felt like the experience would become increasingly more enjoyable with the addition of food and beverage” for the dance’s attendees. At the Pacific Science Center, there were only two water fountains open for all of the students to use, causing a long line and backup for a short sip of water in the 3 hours the dance went on. 

       One thing that came as a surprise this year was that Ingraham didn’t allow students from other schools to obtain guest passes for our homecoming dance. They were supposedly taken away because of bad behavior from the spring fling, but guest passes have been provided for all previous dances, so it came as a bit of a shock when it was unexpectedly announced that no guest passes would be allowed. One sophomore said how they “felt super annoyed when hoco banned guest passes” because they had “already asked a date from another school to the dance before no guest passes were announced,” meaning that they ended up not being able to go to homecoming because their date was banned from the dance altogether. Another student who wasn’t even planning on bringing anyone from outside of Ingraham simply says, “It was not a good decision.” Although it may have been because of the venue having more areas to go to, the dance still seemed to be less full than other dances have been in the past – maybe because of the absence of these passes.