For the 670 who purchased tickets to the Homecoming dance on Saturday, Sept. 25, the evening was supposed to have been memorable. It was memorable, but for all the wrong reasons, causing over 600 students to leave the dance early.

Student body vice-president senior Miranda Wagner says the DJ’s choice of music negatively affected the dance.

“StuCo members asked their friends for songs they wanted to hear, and Ms. Crist went over it and took off two songs, then sent that list to the DJ to use as a guide, he was just not allowed to take requests,” Wagner said. “Any songs he played, they were his own personal choice at his own discretion.”

Counselor and dance chaperone Trish Chandler understands that the music choice was not appealing to students, but says that students still could have had fun despite the circumstances.

“Every student has the choice in every situation to make the best of things. You have got to come in and say, ‘You know what, I’m going to have fun with it.’ It all depends on that choice, what you are going to make of it?” Chandler said.

Embodying Chandler’s advice, junior Carly Granato decided to make the best of her Homecoming, even though she wouldn’t have normally enjoyed the music played by the DJ.

“This quote sums it up, from Maya Angelou, ‘If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.’ I just changed my attitude,” Granato said.

Rumors about the enforcement of the dance policy spread during and immediately after the dance, which Chandler says are false .

“Some students say it was Mr. Waldeck’s fault, which is not true at all. Afterwards he was getting blamed for a lot that was not true,” Chandler said. “I was even said to have had a whistle and binoculars, which just didn’t happen.”

One rumor in particular has been circulating pertaining to Chandler and other chaperones sitting in the bleachers, watching the dancers closely.

“It would’ve been better if there was better music and less teachers on the bleachers with flashlights,” senior Margaret Simanowitz said. “They were creeping.”

Chandler says this is a misconception and says her true purpose was to protect the students.

“I went up there because I honestly didn’t want to stand all night. And the walkie-talkies, those are at every school function, that’s really just a safety issue,” Chandler said. “What if something happened and we needed to contact Officer Midiros? Just a safety issue.”

Principal Tobie Waldeck also has had the issue of hearing things about himself that are not true.

“I’ve been told I handpicked every song. Totally not accurate,” Waldeck said. “I informed him that the music would be appropriate, but I had nothing to do with the selection of music.”

Another common complaint during the dance was the tighter adherence to the signed dance pledge.

“[The enforcement of] the dance policy ruined the dance basically,” Simanowitz said.

The policy is not new, but the adherence to the policy has drastically increased, unexpected for most.

“I can understand why the upperclassmen were disappointed,” counselor and dance chaperone Erin Hayes said. “I am assuming they feel like they didn’t have a voice, which was not our intention.”

Some students predicted these complaints, so they planned an alternate party. Senior Alexis Williams had her birthday party the same night as Homecoming to give students another option. Senior Vicky Griffith says that she was uneasy about the party at first, but at the end of the night, was happier there than at Homecoming.

“I was kind of iffy at first, because she was comparing her birthday to Homecoming,” Griffith said. “But it ended up with her birthday being better than Homecoming.”

The party was held at Okun Fieldhouse, with security and parent chaperones, and they allowed students to dance the way they chose.

“The alternate Homecoming was a safe environment, and if that’s what kids want to do, then do it,” junior Olivia Beashore said.

By the end of the night, roughly 600 students had left Homecoming, with a large portion attending Williams’ party.

“I’m disappointed that people left our Homecoming, for whatever reason,” Waldeck said. “I want kids to have a good time, but there has to be an element of decency in our dances.”

With such a large amount of students leaving, Beashore says the result damaged school spirit, but not because of the alternate party.

“It absolutely harmed school spirit,” Beashore said. “Not that the event took place, but the fact that our Homecoming wasn’t a place where students wanted to be.”

Griffith agrees, saying even without the alternate party, she would have left Homecoming.

“We probably would’ve gone to IHOP with everybody,” Griffith said. “That would’ve been more fun [than Homecoming.]”

Beashore says that changes need to be made in order to have a successful dance.

“If we are going to spend our school money to have a dance that no students want to go to, then stop having it,” Beashore said. “Or fix it so it’s a place kids want to be.”

However, not every part of Homecoming was viewed as a disappointment; Wagner says the spirit of the students during the week and the decoration improved from previous years.

“Every other aspect was just as good, if not better, than last year. The pep assembly was the most spirited assmebly we’ve had in a long time,” Wagner said. “The decorations at the dance were extremely improved. We’ve had lots of compliments. We’ve worked hard, but StuCo can only do so much.”

Because of the negative response to Homecoming, the cheer and dance squads had have to reconsider sponsoring their annual winter dance, which is their main fundraiser. They begin planning the dance in January, so the decision will be made before winter break.

“I don’t think we’re going to make enough money to even pay the DJ,” Rolig said. “We’re just not going to [make enough money].”

Looking for a solution, Hayes wants both the administration and the students to come together and compromise.

“I hope they give the next dance a shot and work to have a happy medium,” Hayes said. “Boycotting is not the answer.”

Waldeck, however, does not think there will be a change in policy.

“I don’t foresee it. The only change you could make would be to allow inappropriate dancing,” Waldeck said. “In a school environment, a school function, allowing is endorsing, and I don’t think a school should endorse it.”