October, a month notorious for spooks and candy, is also a big month for Manville High School. The faint whispers of Halloween and parties have been trumped by the talk of Homecoming. Opinions, disagreements, and comparisons to other Manville High school events circulate the school.

Homecoming, an event held this coming Thursday (October 17th), will be held in Manville High Schools Cafeteria. This fact has caused uproar from both positive and negative lights. On a more negative note, students have been complaining about the setting of the event. Since homecoming is such a big event in student’s minds, they believe the size of the event should represent that. They believe the cafeteria should not be a place to celebrate. Suggestions I have heard are to buy a hall (similar to prom) or, instead, use the gymnasium. Saturn, a 12th grade student at Manville High School, commented, “I went to Homecoming last year, but I didn’t really like it. I won’t be going this year; this music was bad, the setting was bad, and not a lot of people went.”

But from a more positive point of view, students are glad Manville High School is not spending too much money on the funding for homecoming, especially seniors. Seniors have many things funding has to go into, such as Senior picnic, Senior trip, and other events held for them. With all the selling of chocolate and other fundraisers, some students want to preserve the funding for bigger events. However, even younger classmen are excited about the event. Arianna Q, an 11th grade student, said, “I’m excited for Homecoming this year! I’ve never been, and I’m gonna go with my friends.”

Last year, Homecoming was held in the cafeteria. The complaints about this event were extensive, from poor decorations to lack of good music, students were disappointed. This year, hopes are higher. Students expect better ambience, as well as better music options, food, socialization, and more.

The student council, in charge of Homecoming, are working to fulfill these needs. They are aware of the complaints and concerns made by other students and want to address them. The goal for this year’s homecoming is to appeal to students, yet also make the environment safe and school appropriate. This balance is particularly important, yet difficult, because the things that high school students may enjoy, especially music and dances, may not be school appropriate. The balance they need to find will always seem a bit disappointing to some, however, through legal obligation, schools have to be an appropriate environment.

The overall goal of Homecoming is for students to have fun in a respectful and safe manner. The balance will be difficult, but with students more involved in the planning process of this, there is more hope Homecoming will be more enjoyable. However, we can’t say much about what’s yet to come until Homecoming arrives.