Summing up 2021’s Homecoming Dance!

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Benjamin Ponce De Leon, Journalist

A homecoming celebration is one of many traditions that high schools participate in, Arapahoe included. Homecoming by definition is a tradition of welcoming back and celebrating the return of students and staff, with different planned events full of school pride. Arapahoe welcomes back it’s students and staff by participating in a homecoming week, which is full of events and activities to participate in such as different sports games, dress up days, and the iconic homecoming dance. The dance was more significant and widely anticipated due to the establishment of Covid and its impact on Arapahoe’s community, with everybody returning to school entirely.  The 2021 homecoming dance was slightly different from past years at Arapahoe, as it was hosted outside of school rather than being inside like previous years. Some students expressed they didn’t mind the change, and felt the dance was the same as other years, even contributing to helping people have a lower chance at getting sick, as one student stated: “I think it was better towards helping people get less sick, since it was an open space and everybody’s excited to enjoy what the dance has to offer“. The dance was an environment for students to enjoy themselves and to hang out in a foreign setting different from an ordinary school day. The dance included a DJ, snacks, different board games, such as Jenga, Chess, and Connect Four, a coloring station, and other types of games. If you were there, you were there to dance and hang out with friends, and the dance showed no shortage of either. Students packed the west parking lot of Arapahoe, with some people coming in large groups at a time. However, the majority of students that attended came as a couple to enjoy dancing and spending a good time together. Whether you came with a group or with a significant other, both men and women warriors of Arapahoe dressed respectably for the occasion with charming suits and dresses. Overall, 2021’s homecoming dance was worth the anticipation, and the promise of excitement that was built around it didn’t disappoint!