by Ifrah Daber

The tradition of a Homecoming dance has been missing at Jeff High for over 20 years. The absence of such a dance has no specific reason, but some theorize budget issues or lack of interest. However, neither of these concerns has held JHS back, as for the first time in over 20 years the Red Devils will finally be having a Homecoming dance at 8 p.m. Saturday night at the Nachand Fieldhouse in Jeffersonville.

“The point is to bring all the students together.”

Senior and Student Council President Koy Ramer

Student Council presidents, seniors Madison Pritchard and Koy Ramer, started the idea to bring back this custom. They knew that past presidents had hoped to have a Homecoming dance, but the idea was always rejected due to issues with budgeting or lack of a defined idea. So when Ramer and Pritchard wanted to plan a dance for Homecoming, they knew they needed a good plan for principal Pam Hall. They worked with the Student Council and sponsors Natalie Woods and Chloe Merkle to create a dance that the school body could enjoy.

“We were in completely new territory,” Pritchard stated. 

Given the lack of examples to examine, there was no direction to go in when planning the dance. So Pritchard and Ramer surveyed the student body. 

There were many different ideas and opinions, some students wanted an upperclassmen-only Homecoming, while others wanted the venue to be outside or for different entertainment. The pair struggled with finding a way to appease everyone. They attempted to find fair compromises for all students, but some decisions were made, not due to what the students needed, but because of what they could afford. 

Most of the money for the dance came out of Student Council funds. A priority was to keep the dance relatively inexpensive. This led to some trade-offs being made. For example, the dance was hoped to be outside originally, but the idea proved to be too expensive. 

The Homecoming dance ended up being one of the least expensive dances when compared to other yearly events. The dance only cost over 1,000 dollars, around 500 being for the venue and entertainment and only about 100 for the decorations. 

“We wanted to utilize the student body,” Woods stated. A large part of why the dance was able to keep the budget low was due to the fact that the student body was utilized for various parts. 

The culinary classes provide the catering via cake pops and pretzel rods. The marketing class helped make the tickets and flyers, as well as providing the ability to use the old Jeff gym as the venue. The Nachand Fieldhouse was both a cheaper venue and a symbolic statement, given its connection to Jeff. 

The Nachand Fieldhouse is one of the city’s most historic buildings. Standing on 601 E Court Ave, Jeffersonville, the old court was used as the JHS gym and held the basketball games until 1971. 

Due to renovations in 2017, there is one rule given it is a basketball court: all heels or black soled shoes can not be worn on the court. Students can wear them to the dance if they wish, but they cannot walk on the court with them on. 

Despite this, it was the perfect place to hold a dance that was meant to symbolize community and school pride. 

“The point is to bring all the students together,” Ramer stated. 

The concept of unity was a large part of the decision to have a homecoming dance. From the theme of “Light the Night on Fire” being a direct reference to Jeff High’s mascot of the devil, along with allowing all grades to attend, and no outside guests, the center of Homecoming was the students, and they were the strong incentive for planning the dance. 

“Students’ excitement and making this happen for the students was our motivation,” Merkle stated; they wanted to provide something new for the students to look forward to. 

But despite their best efforts, at the end of the day the continuing of the Homecoming dance is up to student participation. 

The hope for participation is 200 students, to help show that the Homecoming dance has enough interest for the dance to continue for years to come as well as to make up for the funds that the Student Council put into the dance. 

“You get what you put into it,”  Pritchard said, and the sentiment was shared by all who planned the event. The need for student support is at the core of helping the dance be successful and improving it for future students. 

The preparation of the dance was a long and hard process, but was achieved by the helpful individuals who planned it for the students. They all hope that students have a fun time, enjoy themselves, and hopefully future students will experience the same joy.