For some students, Homecoming is more than just a dance: It’s a chance to make memories with meaningful people in your life. Bend-La Pine Schools recently implemented a new policy affecting Summit’s Homecoming dance on Oct. 4, restricting guest passes and preventing students from other schools from attending.
District Activities and Athletic Director Gabe Pagano spoke with Summit Student Council member Emme Pofahl, emphasizing that the district wants to focus on school unity, in hopes this dance will set an example for what dances should be like for the rest of the year.
Although the district said the rule is put in place to promote unity, Pofahl questioned whether that was the real motivation.
“I can see why they would use the word ‘unity,’ but I personally think it’s because they don’t want to deal with the outcome of a few students misbehaving,” Pofahl said.
She then added that student leaders will continue to raise the issue for future years.
“If our student leaders had known about this earlier, we would have fought it,” said Pofahl. “We should push for next year and make our voices heard.”
Though this rule might have trickled down from the top, Summit Athletic Director and Assistant Principal Quinn McAndrews stands strong that this rule is not meant to negatively impact students but instead to create an environment of cohesion and school spirit.
“We’re not trying to stifle anybody,” explained McAndrews.
Senior Caroline Dersch had been anticipating spending the night with her boyfriend, who attends Mountain View High School, until she heard about the new policy. Dersch said the restriction hit harder knowing it’s her last year of high school, when every dance and tradition feels like one of the final memories she’ll make with her class.
“Being a senior now means that everything is a last,” said Dersch.
Not only is it the last year with this group of people but also her last chance to experience an event with them. For many seniors like Dersch, it’s difficult to know that their memories of Homecoming — and maybe even of high school — could have felt different if they’d been able to share the night with the people they wanted beside them.
Junior Rynn Van Meter expressed a similar sentiment. Couples who date within their own school aren’t really affected, but for students who pull from a more diverse pool, she said it feels exclusionary. Even though she still plans to attend with friends, she said it won’t be the same.
“It feels weird to split up with my boyfriend on the night of a dance that we would otherwise be attending together,” Van Meter said.
While the intent of the policy may be to bring students together, it is really just further dividing or undermining student relationships. For now, students are doing the best to make the most of the night, even if it looks a little different than they previously imagined. Whether or not the policy changes in the future, memories will still be made and a school policy can’t change that.
