By: Olivia Byrnes and Emma Carr
Editorial Assistants for Production
What are you doing the weekend of Sept. 25?
Because that’s homecoming for Jamesville-DeWitt High School. The homecoming football game will be on Friday, Sept. 25 starting at 6:30 p.m. The bonfire and dance will be on Saturday, Sept. 26. The bonfire starts at 6 p.m and the dance starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8 presale and $10 at the door and will be sold Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday before the football game in school during lunches.
This year the administration decided to have the dance and game on different nights. Slate hopes that this will allow each student to go to all the events without the dance going too late, said sophomore and Slate secretary Olivia Behan. “We wanted to make sure everyone could stay for the full game,” said Behan.
To encourage students to go to the bonfire, Slate decided to hold a raffle. The only way you can be entered into the raffle is if you buy a ticket to the homecoming dance before Saturday, and then go to the bonfire. “If you go to the bonfire your ticket for the dance will be entered in the raffle to win two gift cards to Chipotle,” said Behan. “We just wanted to do something to get the kids to go to the bonfire,” said Slate adviser Meghan McGee.
This year the DJ for the dance will be from Vast Entertainment, which has been used for past proms and balls.
Students at J-DHS are looking forward to going to all the Homecoming festivities. “It’s fun, I get to hang out with my friends and cheer on our team,” said junior Joanna Butler. “It’s my last homecoming and I think that it will be pretty cool,” said senior Adrian Autry. “I’m excited to support my team and be there for J-D,” said junior Connor Hlywa.
However, not everyone is excited that homecoming is spread out over the weekend. Students have different views on whether this is a good or a bad idea. “There will be no more energy (after the game) everyone is hyped and will dance their heart outs, (but) no one is going to want to wait another day to go to the dance,” said Autry. “It’s going to be tricky because I have soccer games on Saturday. I think it (would) be better if it (was) all on one day because people may have other plans on Saturday,” said sophomore Alex Epifani. Senior Haley Ripich doesn’t like the split between the dance and game because she doesn’t know what she is going to wear since, in previous years, she wore the homecoming shirt to both the football game and the dance.
Other students are excited about the new change. “I don’t see anything wrong with it. I think it will benefit the students because we won’t be out late being irresponsible,” said Hlywa. “I think it’s good because people who couldn’t go to the game can now go to the dance and bonfire,” said sophomore Cassie Durkin.
There is one rule that’s still the same: there’s still no tolerance for alcohol consumption or possession in students at the school dance and game. “I just wanted to let students know that we do have a breathalyzer and that if you are found with the possession or consumption of alcohol that you will be suspended out of school,” said Principal Paul Gasparini.