October 24th marked the night of one of the most anticipated high school events of the year: Homecoming. Ready to dance and wearing the latest trends, over 250 students arrived at Briza on the Bay at approximately 8:00 pm. Within the first half hour of the dance, valet parking was full as girls in high heels and guys in bow ties arrived by the dozens.

Weeks prior to the dance, guys began coming up with creative strategies to ask their date to homecoming. From hanging banners to asking in the middle of a pep rally, many believe guys have stepped up their game this year. Junior Logan Morris was one out of the many who wanted to make it special for their homecoming date; in this case, the special girl was junior Hanna Payne.

“He taped letters spelling out homecoming to bottles of distilled water that I use for the coral lab tanks. Then when I went to go feed the fish, he was waiting in the lab with flowers,” said Hannah Payne. “I was completely surprised. I had no idea!”

When Morris was asked how he came up with this idea he said, “I was trying to think of things that she liked. Then I realized she’s always working on the fish tank in Mr. Molina’s classroom and that she needs a lot of distilled water to keep the fish tank full. So I just decided to get 11 gallons of distilled water and put ‘Homecoming?’ on them.”

Once arrived at the location, guests were welcomed inside by flashing lights and music blaring from DJ Obscene’s speakers. Friends were seen taking group pictures, eating appetizers, and waiting for someone to start dancing to break the ice.

When asked about whether it was hard and nerve wrecking to be the first one on the dance floor, senior Melissa Perez said, “It’s not a matter of easy or hard, it’s a matter of the DJ playing a song I wouldn’t dare sit down and miss. One thing I love about homecoming is how easy it is to let go and have fun. What I didn’t expect this year, though, was the way everyone came together. It was nice seeing that you weren’t limited to a group of friends.”

Once Perez began pulling people on the dance floor, tables began to empty. With a variety of music to dance to students were constantly up on their feet and moving to the beat. For many students, homecoming was a great way to release the stress from homework and in some cases college applications. Senior Andrea Short said, “Briza was gorgeous, and I had a lot of fun dancing. It was definitely a good break from school and work.”

At exactly 10:00 pm Mr. Costa and the students in charge of elections (Michelle Tapia, Coby Sanchez, and Hanna Payne) arrived on stage and grabbed the attention of the audience in order to announce the homecoming king and queen, Daniel Moran and Derya Tansel.

“My family, my friends, and everyone else who voted and believed in me were running through my mind. I was nervous, but I had faith that I was the winner,” senior Daniel Moran said.

After the homecoming king and queen were announced, the dance continued on until 12:00 am. Once the clock struck midnight, students began to say their goodbyes and take their last few pictures to capture the memories of the night. It was evident that most if not all of the students enjoyed homecoming. They were also left to decide if the party was going to continue elsewhere or if they would instead go home for a good night’s rest.

Since the start of the year, it was a debate whether or not the school would continue to have a homecoming dance; it’s deciding factor were ticket sales. However, although the minimum sales wasn’t met, Mrs. Suarez, the activities director, confirmed that there will be a homecoming dance next year. She said, “The truth is that the kids who do attend deserve it.”

Overall, homecoming was a success, as students were able to enjoy both themselves and the venue. It was definitely a night to remember for all the seniors, juniors, sophomores, and even freshman who attended.