Since the 2024-2025 school year commenced, many students had been patiently waiting for their chance to participate in the annual Coral Gables Senior High Homecoming dance. Preparing for the event, students made sure to look their best onNov. 2 before arriving to the University of Miami’s Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Alumni Center.
As students walked through the entrance, they were met with decorations fitting the Homecoming’s theme, a Midsummer Nights Dream, as the center was filled with decorations of butterfly’s and trees filling the room. With food, music, a custom flower backdrop and a dancing floor, Cavaliers experienced a remarkable night with their friends. With these memories stored forever, numerous students look forward to next year’s dance and hold a variety of reactions to such a memorable event.
The first off-campus Homecoming dance in countless years created a new environment for students to enjoy their dance. Located at UM Alumni Hall, Gables took their decorations to a new location. What do the Cavaliers feel about the change in scenery to the annual Homecoming?
“I didn’t really like the Homecoming location at the UM Alumni Hall. I had my eighth grade dance there which seemed perfect at that time since there were only 80 kids in my class. However with hundreds of students attending Gables’ Homecoming, it became a little compact and there is more opportunity for students to enjoy themselves if it is held elsewhere or at Gables again. However, I really enjoyed my Homecoming experience and how the music the [disc jockey] played was in grouped sections like pop, rap or even salsa,” junior Samantha Gonzalez said.
“The change in scenery made Homecoming feel more fancy. Since the space was indoors it was definitely cooler with the [air conditioning] but if you were dancing on the floor, it did get pretty heated. However, there weren’t enough tables and chairs for everyone but after everyone got settled it didn’t matter because nobody was sitting once the dancing started. I would probably keep the location because it was indoors and the photo booth with the dance floor worked out great,” senior Tiffany Beh said.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream proved to be a creative theme for this year’s Homecoming. With the help of certain teachers and students, the hall was decorated with an array of items covered in fairy lights. Cavaliers share how the theme for Homecoming improved the dance and atmosphere of the night.
“I noticed how the decorations were very outdoors-y with many trees. It was set up with other items which made it look cool. In my opinion, the theme for this years Homecoming was better than last years, [Under the Stars,] because of the decorations being indoors which created a better environment. The backdrop matched the theme and I would have kept it the same because many people were pleased taking photos with friends,” senior Sebastian Lopez said.
“For the decorations in Homecoming I came early with sophomore board and teachers like Mrs. Suarez and Mrs. Camacho to set up the event in the morning. I helped set up twinkle lights around the room which I think worked really well to set the mood and emphasized other decorations. The decorations looked good when I arrived the night of Homecoming and people seemed to enjoy it,” sophomore Hennley Michel said.
“We decided on the theme for Homecoming because we wanted an enchanted garden. The decorations were purchased including a rose wall for the pictures and nature aspects for the inside like butterflies, trees, lanterns and many lights. When the lights were off we wanted students to feel like they were outside in the forest like a fairytale,” Mrs. Camacho said.
The title of the 2024 Homecoming king and queen was awarded to seniors Evan Noval and Melissa Hernandez. Fan favorites enjoyed a marvelous night with their friends and danced to the music to the final seconds. How do Gables’ students feel about Homecoming court’s award winners and the music played throughout the night to keep the party going?
“I feel like [Hernandez] and I should’ve won because it was truly a fairy tale story. We first met in Little Cavaliers becoming close friends and now we’re here as Homecoming King and Queen. Melissa and I were also the only duo to create a campaigning video. Besides the award, the music was very nice but I would include some more slow dances in addition to songs to jump around to. Dancing with my friends and enjoying ourselves was also an exciting moment for me,” senior Evan Noval said.
“[Noval] and [Hernandez] were crowd favorites and the best fit with him being on football team and her being a cheerleader. I would rate the music an eight out of ten because their were a lot of good beat drops mixed with popular songs. The best part of Homecoming was the dancing in the center of the circle as the music played in the background,” sophomore Erick Del Valle said.
“I think [Noval] and [Hernandez] winning was pretty deserving but obviously it could have gone another way. I heard that the voting was close from other couples like Tiffany Beh and Antonio Vasquez. I feel like for the characteristics that the Homecoming King and Queen need to have is that they have to be dating or very close friends. The minimum in my opinion is for the guy to ask the girl with a poster to Homecoming but I much rather vote for a dating couple. I did have a great experience taking pictures of the event and the music had an explicit filter with the songs which I didn’t like but overall the songs were fine,” junior Linus Boettcher said.
