The annual homecoming dance was substituted this year for the quad celebration in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines. The celebration took place Oct.15 as a precedor for the football game, ASB president Nikki Liu said. 

“The timing is right after the parade and people can come and hang out and then directly go on to the football game, so it’ll be an easy transition,” Liu said. “We wanted to keep everything during school hours so more people can be a part of it.”

ASB social manager Minnie Karki said all ASB members were involved in planning the celebration. 

“We got help from as many people as we could. Everyone in leadership helped, like ASB and all the class officers,” Karki said. “We also reached out to the student body and created a homecoming committee which was students that wanted to contribute to the planning process so we got a lot of help from them and a lot of feedback.”

ASB Social Manager Megan Zoey Ventura said the event was important since it was a way to strengthen the school community, especially after a year of remote learning. 

“It’s a really great way for the school to come together as a community and really enjoy each other’s company,” Ventura said.

Junior Katelyn Yap said the event was an enjoyable experience, with students celebrating the event with their friends. 

“I’ve never been to the [homecoming] dance,” Yap said. “But [the quad celebration] is really fun.”

Even though the quad celebration was substituted in due to the pandmeic,  Karki said there is a chance for it to continue being implemented in future years.

“This event is very different from what a normal dance would be,” Karki said. “In a typical dance, we would just be selling food and dancing. But in the quad celebration, there are a lot of activities and different opportunities for people to get to know each other.”

Karki said that while the quad celebration strays from the traditional homecoming events, it still captured the essence of homecoming.

“Leadership and ASB have put so much effort into this,” Liu said. “We’re doing this for the school and we really want to make sure everyone has fun.” 

Liu said that despite the new events, ASB and leadership hoped to increase participation in homecoming through the quad celebration.  

“Even though some people may be disappointed that we don’t have a dance, we’re doing our best to find substitutes,” Liu said. “We just want to make sure that we can make homecoming the best it can be given the situation.”

HOMECOMING QUAD CELEBRATION: Attendees visit various activity booths and complimentary concession stands. (Produced by Saira Ahmed and Erin Loh)