Students Dance the Night Away at Annual Homecoming Celebration

By: Claire Weinberg and Campbell Homer

On Sept. 27, the annual Homecoming Dance was held at Quaker Valley High School’s Chuck Knox Stadium from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. As one of the most anticipated and highly-attended events of the year, the Homecoming Dance is a time for students to celebrate with friends and create lasting memories. 

However, the fun begins long before the dance itself, with Homecoming festivities taking place over the entire week leading up to the event. Spirit Week, planned by the Student Council Service Committee, encouraged students to dress up for daily themes to show their Homecoming spirit. This year’s fun themes included PJ Day, Pittsburgh Gear Day, Park Ranger vs. Animal, Conrad vs. Jeremiah and Neon.

Student Council was also in charge of coordinating the pep rally on Sept. 26, and members sold tickets to the dance during every lunch period of the week leading up to Homecoming. "This year we sold 453 tickets, more tickets than ever before—accounting for 83% of the student body," Mrs. Muraco, who has helped coordinate Homecoming since 2018, said. Clearly, Homecoming has become more popular over the years, as the ticket sales have risen significantly since 2018’s total of 206 tickets.

The Homecoming football game, where Quakers played against Hopewell, took place at Chuck Knox Stadium on Sept. 26. The Quakers lost with a final score of 0-48. The student section showed their school spirit through bright neon wear, and at halftime, the Homecoming King and Queen were announced. 

This year, Nicholas Winnowski and Alexa Westwood were voted by the QV student body to be this year’s Homecoming King and Queen. According to Mrs. Muraco, all of the nominees were selected by staff members for their continual demonstration of "leadership, friendliness, school spirit, overcoming adversity, and other positive characteristics" valued at Quaker Valley. Then, around 200 students voted, ultimately selecting Winnowski and Westwood as the King and Queen.

This year's dance was planned by Mrs. Muraco, Mr. Brindza, Mrs. Rosa and Mrs. Strelec. Students were welcomed onto the football field at 7:00 p.m., and throughout the evening, there were many different activities for everyone to enjoy. Among them was a traditional dance floor, local food trucks and yard games. “I thought the activities that were provided were a really fun opportunity for everyone who didn't feel like dancing," senior Mackenzie Felouzis said. There was cornhole, Spikeball, and Gaga Ball, along with the Penn State football game to watch. Students were also welcome to just walk around and enjoy the night.

A lot of thought and coordination go into each year's dance. Mrs. Muraco and her fellow planners are "always looking for ways to make it a better experience for all students." If you have any ideas for the future Homecoming dances, feel free to share them with Mrs. Muraco so she can take them into consideration next year.

Attendees of the Homecoming Dance gather in multiple activity "pods" for dancing. eating at food trucks and even watching the Penn State game.

Photo Credit: Evelyn Zutter