Article by Angela Yeung and William Hsu
Photography by Ethan Quinn
Look at those flashing strobe lights. Listen to the the pulsating beat. There’s a chanting crowd, jumping along to the heavy bass that rocks the dance floor. It’s homecoming — the first dance of the year! A long-held tradition, Homecoming welcomes both new and returning students and provides an opportunity for the whole high school to interact outside of class.
Situated right between the KAS lobby and the exhibition hall is our very own Student Council, which has been working hard to meticulously plan Homecoming since early September, making sure that not one thing is out of place. Separated from the dance floor by a high wall of dividers sits a large table piled high with snacks and cold drinks, patiently waiting for tired partygoers. Past the dividers are blazing lights, soaking the dance floor in a whirl of colors, washing everything in a blue-pink hue. Dance music throbs from the large speakers, filling the air with oscillating sound.
Usually held in the exhibition hall with minimalistic decorations, the Homecoming Dance is complete with snacks, iced drinks for the thirsty, and DJs from I-Shou International School to hype up the crowd. Organized by our Student Council, Homecoming is usually the most affordable (and popular) dance throughout the school year, with it being 350 NT and available for discounts. The turnout this year was especially much better than initially expected, as StuCo (in light of school spirit) decided to make this year’s dance free of charge.
This year’s Homecoming also differed from the previous years in a number of ways. Most notably was the surprise guest performance by NoTearsCrew which included a senior from KAS, Ronald Kuo. The group performed their new single, “Broken Heart,” a catchy hip-hop song with an expressive melody and jaunty rhythm that immediately fired up the crowd.
NoTearCrew during their performance of “Broken Heart”
Shortly after the dance, Student Council set out a survey asking for participants’ opinions regarding the dance and the areas of which StuCo could improve upon. Said survey revealed that most people were more than happy with the price. On the other hand, there were a few negative comments and reviews regarding Homecoming. “The music was too loud,” said a respondent, “and the price fluctuation was a little unreasonable.” Making the dance free was quite a last-minute decision, and a lot of students already had events pre-arranged and as a result, they weren’t able to attend. Overall, the majority of participants was satisfied with the refreshments provided, and about 55% of participants were satisfied with the overall dance. In conclusion, there were some minor issues with the dance, such as the sudden price fluctuations, overly loud music, and limited food choice.
Stuco has helped increase the quality of our school dances, through ways such as cooperating with another schools and giving their students an opportunity to both collaborate and celebrate with students at KAS. Homecoming 2018 is indeed an opening to a path which displays to both StuCo and KAS the potential of incorporating more unique elements in future dances.
