By Ella Chan, Yvette Lin & Lucas de Paula
Staff Writers
Students gathered for the annual Homecoming football game on Oct. 1 and Homecoming dance on Oct. 2, ending a week of celebrations.
ASB began planning for homecoming events in the summer, but needed direction from the school board for the necessary safety guidelines. After drafting a proposal and receiving confirmation from the administration and district board, ASB finalized their contracts with outside businesses for the dance.
The football team lost 41-12 against South Pasadena during the Homecoming game on Oct. 1. At the halftime show, students watched a fireworks display and performances by POTC, Pep, Choreo and Brighter Side Singers. Last year’s homecoming queen Kathy Ye crowned senior Emily La as this year’s queen.
“Being selected as queen reminded me of how much support I had from other people and how I wasn’t ever alone,” La said. “People are always willing to support me, and I knew who had my back.”
At the Waterlily Wonderland-themed Homecoming dance, ASB organized students into color cohorts upon ticket purchase. Students could only eat at the tables and dance in areas corresponding with their cohorts. To be admitted, students needed to provide photo ID and vaccination proof or a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of the dance.
Attendees needed to wear masks when not actively eating or drinking and could not bring off-campus guests. ASB also limited contact between vendors, who needed to provide individually packed foods.
Last year, ASB changed the Homecoming Court requirements to make it more gender inclusive instead of only female. While this year featured an all-female court, they hope to have a gender-varied court next year through infographics and 5-Star activities.