On Saturday, September 20, after a long Friday of JV games and Saturday of varsity games against Latin, Parker students celebrated at the homecoming dance. The theme, “Rio Carnival,” was chosen to bring vibrant color to the dance floor and inspired by the festive atmosphere of the world-famous Brazilian celebration. The event was held in the Draft Gym, which was decorated by the student-led Social Committee. The dance provided a fun night for all of the Upper School. The dance went from 7 to 9 p.m., and the SADD committee heads met all students in the alcove to sign slips, ensuring everyone’s safety throughout the night. Faculty chaperones were also there to ensure everything ran smoothly.
The Social Committee heads play a central role in planning the homecoming dance, and they are required to make a lot of decisions. The first big decision is the theme. Social Committee head and senior Dylan Wright said the committee heads wanted a theme that was lively and engaging. “We knew we wanted the theme to be fun and colorful. My favorite movie is ‘Rio,’ so we thought the song from the movie would be good for the announcement video,” Wright said. The video, used to reveal the theme to the student body, included footage from both the original old Hollywood concept and the final Rio Carnival theme. According to Wright, each version only took about 30 minutes to film, with assistance from junior Cam Routenberg, who filmed and edited the video.
In addition to the dance, Parker had themed dress-up days leading up to the homecoming games and dance on Saturday. “A lot of other schools do dress-like-a-teacher day, so we thought it’d be fun,” Wright said. “Dress Like a Disaster Day was easy for students to participate in, and twin day is always popular.”
Homecoming plays a different role for each grade level. Sophomores and juniors participate as returning students, while for seniors it is the first of many lasts that they will encounter in their final year. Even teachers attend, often as a supervisor. But for freshmen, it is their first time experiencing a Parker dance. “I pictured the classic homecoming you see in movies,” freshman Lily Wood said. “It definitely lived up to the hype.”
Senior Penny Wood reflected on her experience at this year’s homecoming, noting that attending as a senior felt different from previous years. “The dance was better as a senior,” Wood said. “We now have a routine down, as to how the dance works. I feel like the older you are, the more fun school events like this get. It was fun to see and take pictures with all the grades below me that I have connected with and gotten to know over the years.”
This year‘s homecoming concluded a week of coordinated events organized by students and supported by faculty. With the gym transformed to match the “Rio Carnival” theme by Ssocial Ccommittee heads and strong attendance across all grades, the dance served as both a social event and a continuation of long-standing school tradition. It takes a lot of people to make Parker traditions like these stand out, and this year definitely did not disappoint.
