Outside of Pinstripes on Oct. 19th, a crowd of students lined up to enter and dance their hearts out.
“The line scared me when I first saw it,” said Claire Yee, a senior at Carlmont.
Homecoming at Carlmont is a celebration of school pride. This year, the theme was disco. Instead of the familiar campus setting, the exciting new venue was at Pinstripes, located within Hillsdale Shopping Center. This shift added new enhancements to the dance, such as bowling and food.
“I wanted to see what homecoming was like at a venue outside of school,” Yee said.
Homecoming has been a popular school dance at Carlmont for years, as it is one of the two dances that all grades can attend. The new venue change to Pinstripes was said to enhance the experience with a new lively location so students could enjoy a bigger space and create fond memories.
According to the Associated Student Body (ASB), ticket sales have increased more than 200% compared to previous years.
“Last year, we sold a lot less; we made 500 sales; versus this year, we hit over 1,000, which was nice,” said Sophie Chong, a member of the Carlmont Dance Commission.
The number of sales had impacted the choice of the venue. With ASB already predicting the increase, they had to look for somewhere with a larger capacity.
“There are not that many other venues close by that have enough size to hold 1,000 people that are cheap and affordable that also are gonna be good quality,” Chong said.
The spread of the updated homecoming venue caused many more people to attend the dance this year. Carlmont added additional chaperones to manage the larger crowd.
“I think that school dances are fun and should be a safe environment for students to have fun. It will be a lot different considering there is a new location not at Carlmont,” said Marianna Ghishan, a geometry teacher who chaperoned at the homecoming dance.
While lively, the dance room had become crowded quickly, and many were concerned about the safety of the dance floor. During the last song, a student lost their balance and fell.
Another issue that surfaced was the popularity of the bowling alleys. With the excitement of the new addition, students were eager to participate. ASB had planned for the games to be set up in a certain way to ensure everyone gets a shot.
“I think they typically set it up to be 10 minutes. They will probably have lines, and parents will be managing it. People can float in and out,” Chong said.
However, things went differently than planned on the night of homecoming. Many students would restart the game when it had wrapped up. The lack of organization caused many students to miss out on bowling during the dance.
“I did not get to bowl since it was too crowded, but I wanted to. Students filled up all the lanes,” Yee said.
The decision to host Carlmont’s homecoming at Pinstripes has proven to show potential for change in the years to come. The increase in student participation is evident in ticket sales; however, the challenges of crowded spaces and long wait times for entry will ensure the continued effort to modify future homecoming events that bring excitement and enthusiasm.
“It was a fun experience, and the venue’s location made for a much more engaging experience than most other school events I’ve been to,” said Emmett Rennich, a sophomore.
