The Homecoming dance, which took place Sept. 22, incorporated aspects that were different from previous years’ dances. Some of these changes caused strong reactions by some who attended.

The most visible change was the number of lights turned on during the dance. Two courts in the field house had their lights turned on, causing dancers to “protest.”

“Everyone sat down. We just sat,”  Collete Morton, dance-goer and junior, said. “We waited to see if that would encourage the administration to turn the lights off. At about 8:30 they turned the lights off, which was better. But then eventually the lights were turned back on again.”

With the fieldhouse lights being turned off during Homecoming in past years, the addition of more lights was unpopular.

“Everyone kind of stood around and stared at each other,” Morton said. “It was uncomfortable when the lights were on.”

Assistant Principal Amy Skeens-Benton said she was unaware of the student protest that took place.

“I did not know about the protest. The lights were accidentally turned off when we were adjusting the lights in the office. They were quickly turned back on,” Skeens-Benton said.

Despite the changes with the lights, Morton said the new additions to the dance had positives.

“A lot of people were playing on the ping pong tables. That was pretty cool. My date and I tried out one of the photo booths. It was nice to be able to not only dance the whole time,” Morton said.

Like Morton, Skeens-Benton said that the new activities were a success.

“I believe that they worked out really well. Many kids utilized those activities,” Skeens-Benton said.

For more on the changes for Homecoming 2012, click here.