Homecoming: Breaking records with a red carpet
With a turn out beyond expectations, “Welcome to Hollywood” broke records and made for life changing memories. Seniors danced their hearts out for the last time, happy they participated. “I definitely enjoyed it, I feel like if you don’t participate it won’t be fun. That’s why I went to all four of my homecomings,”senior and homecoming court member Madelyn Toombs said.
October 9, 2018
Starting at 7 p.m., NC’s annual homecoming dance brought a massive crowd of students from all grade levels and even other schools to the Hollywood-themed cafeteria on Saturday, October 6. After the week of meticulously planned events and dress up days, students prepared all day to look their best and dance their hearts out.
“It was a little stressful, but Tribal Connections is a solid group of people so we were able to plan the dance, get everything ready, and have a terrific week,” senior and homecoming MC Zion Fitch said.
In shimmering dresses and dazzling suits, students piled outside the main cafeteria while they waited for friends. Camera flashes flooded the courtyard with huddled-together students smiling brightly. Greeting people as they walked on the red carpet, the “Hollywood sign” hung above the dance floor for all to see, welcoming them to the city of stars.
Walking into the transformed cafeteria, students felt like they stepped into a nightclub, not the cafeteria. With strobing lights darting about the room, pulsating music, and white drapes covering any trace of the white brick walls, the atmosphere commanded dancing.
The dance floor filled with a constant flow of people in and out of the cafeteria. The record ticket sales, with over 1300 sold, reflected the amount of people attending, making the dance a hit. “It felt like 1300 people attended, I am not going to lie. If we did not have 1300 we must have had close to that range. People had to go out to the courtyard for the overflow and party out there, I think we hit that number really close,” Fitch said.
Dancing with reckless abandon, students enjoyed the songs of the night with their dates and friends beside them. Seemingly a tradition, a group gathered into the center of the crowd, dancing and cheering in a huddle of sweat and laughter. The center group—the life of the party—jumped and shouted to the music, making everyone excited to dance along.
“There are always some snags, but everyone put their best foot forward and produced the best possible product we could, so I am satisfied with the dance. We set a record for ticket sales and I think everyone enjoyed themselves,” Fitch said.
With a record of over 1300 tickets sold this year, the cafeteria-turned-dance floor flooded out into the courtyard between the cafeteria and the main building. Escaping the heat form the hundreds of bodies, students waited outside until they decided to trek back in.
Fitch, the school’s go-to MC for pep rallies, announced the homecoming court once again: seniors King Christian Singleton and Queen Sasha Wolfenberger. The floor erupted with cheers and shouts as the court gathered at the front of the stage, waving and draped in sashes with “Homecoming Royalty” emblazoned across the front.
“It’s just like any other job; it can be stressful, but it’s a gift to be able to speak well and be a good MC. I am thankful for it, and it’s always fun to do,” Fitch said.
The lights flashed on closing the dance out and signalling the end of the night. A carpool line spanned the entire sidewalk as people laughed about the music and memories made.
“Get a group of friends or even just one person and just do everything. Do every dress up day. Go to every event. Do everything because you don’t want to look back and say ‘man, I wish I did that,’” senior and homecoming queen runner-up Madeline Toombs said.
