As many students and faculty know, the start of the second trimester entails the highly anticipated Léman Homecoming. The annual dance invites students to come out and celebrate coming together to have a good time. With the success of last year’s dance and the boat party earlier in the year, students were excited to return to a night of fun.
The most integral part of most student events is that of student government. This year, the student government, alongside Dean Brandon Miller, worked tirelessly to give students an unforgettable school event. From fundraising to student surveys to talking to alumni, student voice was an essential part of preparation and planning.
Marguerite Cherflis, student body Vice President, said, “we just wanted the best time for everyone and try to recreate the experience from prior years for people who haven't experienced homecoming, like freshman and incoming boarding students.”
Dean Miller spoke on some of the goals of student government and administration, exclaiming, “I think the first goal was to make sure I put together an event that students enjoyed, whether that was from like the 360 booth to getting a different DJ I asked around a lot, like how did, like the students liked the DJ from the boat party. The response wasn't as good as I thought, so I had another DJ in mind and I like to think that he did a great job on Friday.”
However, with any school event, comes its challenges. A point of confusion was that of location. Kairah Cardoza, student government Co-Event Coordinator, explained “I think initially finding a DJ and a photo booth and also working with the LCA to try to figure out what kind of budget we have and what kind of decorations we will be needing was definitely a challenge.”
Marguerite continues, explaining “A challenge was like, um, the whole ballroom/cafeteria situation. We were really looking forward to having the ballroom, but since we couldn't, the cafeteria was our only backup, but we still made it work.”
Dean Miller, along with administrators, also faced challenges, saying “the timeframe of getting everything solidified. We were working with a tight window, so it was very, very, very frustrating and very time consuming, but I think it all came together at the end.”
Utilizing student perspectives and ideas, our Leman community was able to host an evening of dancing, food, drinks, music and celebration for all high school students.
This year’s dance sported a new dress code, making students come out in their best dresses and button downs, creating a more formal feel. Students were greeted with decorations, a DJ, photo booth, food and drinks and a lit up dance floor.
Marissa Proenza, a senior, said “Being in my senior year, I think it was great that there was a big turnout and I had a lot of fun. Everyone was dancing and mingling, it was a great time.”
Samirah Horton, a freshman, agrees, saying “I enjoyed homecoming, the decor, the music selection and overall vibe. I enjoyed spending time with my friends as well.”
Going forward, student government and administration is always looking for room to improve and opportunities to learn, especially after hearing students’ concerns and wants.
Sofia Zago, a senior, suggests “I just want it to feel more like homecoming and less like a normal average school dance. homecoming should be less formal than prom but more formal than something like the boat party.”
Samirah agrees, suggesting “Next year I would like to see a looser dress code.”
Marguerite and Kairah are both in agreement that this homecoming not only prepared the student government for future Leman dances, but specifically for Senior Prom.
Kairah exclaimed, “I definitely think this will help us continue to plan for prom. Now that we understand budgeting, we understand decorations, we understand the DJ and how it works, we can incorporate what we learned there and implement that into prom.”
All in all, homecoming was a success for students and the whole Leman community. Our student government and administration were determined to use student wants and concerns to their advantage to plan an unforgettable night of celebration, while also using their experiences to improve and do better next time. Our community can expect not only more fun events, but a more eventful school year.