Lindsey Mestdagh ’13 | Staff Writer
As homecoming begins two weeks early this year, students and class advisers have been put under pressure, but are still embracing the positives.
“Since we had the same float party start date, August 1st, we had a lot less time to prepare the float and posters than we’ve had in previous years,” said class of 2013 Vice President Olivia Monette.
Less preparation has stressed out the council members and advisers, Monette said. There is just as much to get done, but in a much shorter time period than what students are used to.
The date shift was not believed to be intentional, senior class advisor Jenna Kuess said. Homecoming goes along with the athletic schedule and it happened to be an early weekend that worked with a home football game.
“Not only do we need to pack more in in less time, but students tend to not show up until later float parties,” class of 2015 ambassador Jack Warren said.
“Many students are involved in so much and as they’re just getting back into the school year they find it hard to have the time to come and help at the float parties,” said Warren. “This puts even more weight on the shoulders of those in charge.”
Warren said preparing homecoming groups and plans for before or after the dance has felt rushed, but other than that most students seem to be fine with the new date.
While many find the early date inconvenient, Kuess doesn’t see many negatives to an earlier homecoming date.
“Although it is nice to have extra preparation time, the earlier date helps get the students and staff into the school spirit sooner,” said Kuess. “The weather is also nicer at this time of year, which is a big plus.”
The students will have something to look forward to quickly once the school year begins, Kuess said. They are able to have fun and interact with each other allowing them to come together sooner, she added.
Also, there is less time to stress out as the students and advisers are working for about three to four weeks opposed to seven to eight weeks, Kuess said.
Since homecoming ends earlier it makes it easier for students to get back to focusing on school work and other extracurricular activities sooner, Monette said.
Despite the fact that homecoming is a few weeks earlier, everything about it is basically the same, Monette said.
“I think the shorter preparation time has fueled the classes to work harder and try to make things just as good as they were any other year when we were given more time to complete the same tasks,” said Monette. “The time crunch has served as motivation for the classes.”