Katherine Ruiz

DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY A crowd of students sway and celebrate at the 2023 Mater Dei Homecoming Dance. Students, like senior Hailey Foster, find the dancing to be their favorite part of the event. “The best part of Homecoming, I would say, is the last two hours of the dance,” Foster said. “Because those last two hours are always the hours where you’re dancing, and the people that want to dance are there, and you’re able to just have fun.”

Dances at Mater Dei are more than just high school events; they are a vibrant expression of the school’s spirit and tradition. They symbolize the pride of the Monarchs, the excitement of student life, and most of all, the culmination of months of planning by both ASB officers and staff members. While the night lasts just a few hours, it relies on the time and dedication of many. With Homecoming right around the corner, students can feel the fizzing anticipation in the air. 

Behind the scenes, many school staff members and students are involved in the planning and execution of the night. From arranging venues to bringing the chosen theme to life, it is only possible with the commitment of those who are involved. Executive Director of Student Activities Jeanette Costa has a lot of experience in planning dances such as Homecoming. 

“My main goal is to try and get enough [activities so] that everyone feels like it’s something they want to go to,” Costa said. “I know not everyone likes dances, but my goal is to have enough different items [so] that people feel like, oh, even if I hate music and don’t want to dance, there are other things [to do].”

Planning dances takes a sufficient amount of time and effort beyond the nine months that school is in session each year. Preparation begins months in advance. Costa shares the detailed process of brainstorming and discussions when organizing dances, and the schedule used for those who help in the planning. 

“We started working on Homecoming during the summer, working on all three dances,” Costa said. “So we planned where the venues [will be] for all three dances over the summer, and then we start[ed] planning what’s going to happen at the dance and then as soon as [Homecoming is] over in October, we’ll start right away on Winter Formal.”

Collaboration between Costa and the ASB officers also plays a crucial role. Various student officers help to plan every dance, gathering feedback from their peers in order to construct the event. 

“Homecoming is planned by the sophomore officers,” Costa said. “Their job is to put out surveys about, [for example], what is the Homecoming theme that you want? Do you want rides at dances, or do you [not like this or] that? So it’s each officer’s job to come up with what questions they want to survey the student body on.”

Costa sees Homecoming as more than just a school dance – it is a chance for students to create lasting memories. She hopes to make Homecoming 2024 a night that students will remember for years to come and students will look back at the night as time with friends, helping to reminisce about their time as part of the Monarch community. 

“I hope that [students] walk away having had a really fun evening with their friends, [and] making an actual high school memory that they’ll tell their kids about when they’re older,” Costa said. “The idea with Homecoming is that it’s celebrating [the fact that] this is our school, this is [our] homecoming. I hope that they have that feeling of, I’m glad to be here at Mater Dei.”

Although the Homecoming dance at Mater Dei is a single evening, the annual Spirit Week is another vital aspect, which serves as a way to excite the student body before the big game and the dance itself. Senior Class Officer Hailey Foster discusses how ASB contributes to both Homecoming and Spirit Week. 

“The student side of planning is more like, What do we want for decorations? What do we want for the activities during the dance?” Foster said. “What [do] we want for spirit weeks? Like dress days and lunchtime activities and other [things] like posters.” 

The excitement during Spirit Week helps motivate ASB officers to work tirelessly. Officers sacrifice their free time and personal commitments to make sure that everything runs smoothly. They all feel a distinct dedication and responsibility to make Spirit Week the best it can be for the entire student body.

“We have a class [for ASB] in the morning for our first block,” Foster said. “So every class period, we’ve been focusing on that for the past weeks, sometimes after school also, or during lunches, so a good amount of time.”

As the ASB and Mater Dei school staff prepare for this year’s Homecoming season, they take cues from previous events to ensure the best experience for all students. Reflecting on past dances, they have identified areas for improvement, using last year’s challenges as valuable lessons 

“Last year’s Homecoming, there were a couple of things that went wrong, and so [this year] we’re able to figure [it] out and make [this year’s event] better from those previous Homecomings,” Foster said. 

As the dance approaches, students who attended last year’s dance are eager to see how this year’s event compares. Junior Christian Newberry recalls the dance last year and shares his thoughts on what he hopes for this year’s dance. 

“I would like to see something new from the other dances I’ve attended, maybe different kinds of games [or] activities,” Newberry said. “Student feedback can help [us] better understand [what students want when] participating in the dance.”

With the final touches falling into place, and only one month until Homecoming, the momentum continues to build. For Newberry, the anticipation is about more than reliving last year’s experience, but also making this Homecoming dance even more special for attending students. 

“I want [students] to come back with the experience of a lifetime and with memories that will last a lifetime,” Newberry said.