For the 2024 Homecoming Dance on Oct. 19, for the first time the dance will be held in the McCallie Kennedy Student Center. All students in the Upper School are invited, though for many this will be vastly different than the usual dance which is held in the Huffman Athletic Wrestling Room. Faculty members decided to move the location because they thought a change of space and relocation would be beneficial and exciting for the student body. To make this happen, faculty and a few student helpers have decked out the student center with streamers, a photo booth and snacks. Senior Maggie Beth Jackson and faculty member Terar Everhart expressed excitement with the move of the homecoming dance to the student center from the wrestling room.
“I am excited for a new location. I know that when we have had it in the wrestling room in the past years, it has been hot in there.” Jackson said. “I am excited to see the new space, how it goes, to see if everyone else likes it and how they are going to set that up.”
Jackson expressed her optimism for the dance, along with some concerns, mentioning both positive hopes for the dance as well as realistic concerns about the relocation.
“I am curious to see how it will go because it will be echoey and loud,” Jackson said. “There might not be as much room as there was in the wrestling room. I think that parking is going to be a big change because usually we are all at the Huffman, and there are 100 plus parking spaces for everybody to park.”
Jackson said that overall she thought the homecoming dance being in the student center was a good idea.
“I do think it will be fun and I think the freshman may like it more. Everybody may have a more fun time,” Jackson said.
Everhart gives her opinion on the move as a teacher, not a student.
“I am excited for the people to be able to move around and not just have a specific place to take pictures. You can have multiple places to take pictures because it is super cute in here,” Everhart said. “I am excited for this space to be used in a way that it has not before. We have never been able to have a dance in here or look like you want to have a dance in here because it was a library. So, it is super cool to be able to start having events in this room for the students to enjoy.”
Everhart conceded with the thought that she supported the idea of the relocation, and was excited to see the finished product.
“Yes, I think it is an awesome idea. The air does not regulate right in the wrestling room so when you are dancing and jumping around everyone is sweating and it is gross. So overall, I am super excited to see how it looks and how it goes.”