MARICOPA — While almost every other school celebrates homecoming in the fall, Desert Sunrise High School has no alumni to welcome back to campus. So they’re going to try something else.
DSHS will hold its first dance next month, with the hope of creating traditions students will remember past graduation. Forthcoming, instead of Homecoming, will be 7-10 p.m. on Oct. 22.
“Homecoming dances and homecoming football games are usually filled with memories for alumni but at our newly opened school, students are starting fresh and building new traditions,” said Allie Krigbaum, DSHS college and career counselor. “Without the history to host an established homecoming and alumni to come back to the school, the tradition is starting from scratch.”
Those involved in planning this event are Nicole Rincon, DSHS Student Government advisor, and DSHS StuGo members.
DSHS StuGo selected a “Rockin’ the ’80s” theme to coincide with their Stranger Things Haunted House event for the Maricopa community the following week. More information about the haunted house will be provided at a later date.
Krigbaum said Forthcoming is more informal, however. Since it’s the school’s first dance, they want it to be “memorable” and “create an unforgettable experience.”
“We hope that the students and staff remember this Forthcoming for a long time,” she said. “We will soon transition to a traditional Homecoming dance so having something that only a few years of students get to participate in, is something special.”
Krigbaum said they hope Forthcoming is something all the DSHS students can be proud of and create an identity, to “bleed blue and gold.”
“Creating that buy-in and identity has been fun for the staff,” she said. “We have had lots of reminiscing about what our high school experience looked and felt like.”
Krigbaum said StuGo is putting together various ticket options, so the students can customize their first dance experience. They hope to have “pre-paid refreshment packages, souvenirs and a VIP element.”
She said even though DSHS has been open for only a few months, there’s a “sense of school pride already.” She said when various experiences such as dances and extra-curricular activities are created, there are opportunities for the students to partake in new traditions.
StuGo has more dances planned, but aren’t able to share details at this time.
Kimlye Stager covers Maricopa and the surrounding area for PinalCentral, including city, education, business, crime and more. She can be reached at kstager@pinalcentral.com.
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