With Lakewood’s Homecoming dance just around the corner, students are preparing for what should be the largest school event this fall. However, with everything from the lack of allowing non-Lakewood students, separation between the dance and Spirit Week and latent communication surrounding the event, it’s hard to remain confident that this year’s Homecoming will be everything that it should be.

Concern over communication rises in preparation of Homecoming. Principal Erin Savage covered it on the announcements where she says Homecoming tickets can be bought at lunch. However, because many students don’t listen to the announcements, it might have been better to include flyers in hallways and an added announcement during lunch.

Ticket distribution has been another issue. Tickets could have been sold at a more visible and prominent location instead of a barely noticeable lunch table in the courtyard. If ticket location was included in the announcements and the table had a sign, students would have had an easier time finding the table. As of Friday at noon over 300 out of 425 tickets had been sold. With nearly 1,000 students at Lakewood, this turnout is less than desired. Better advertising might have helped.

The homecoming game and Spirit Week was an entire month ago. The dance was postponed, Savage said, to reduce potential COVID cases.

“The district wanted us to hold the dance a little bit later with the hopes that the number of COVID cases went down,” Savage said.

Delaying the dance, however, does not mean it must be separated from Spirit Week. It would have made more sense to delay Spirit Week as well so that it coincides with the dance. The only thing accomplished in separation is less attention and excitement regarding the Homecoming dance. The events that are meant to hype up Homecoming feel so distant even today. By the time we reach homecoming Saturday, they will lack the emotional correlation that made them substantial.

What might be the most disappointing aspect of homecoming is the exclusion of non-Lakewood students. The barring of outsiders can severely diminish some students’ enjoyment. Students who want to bring a date from another school would have to come alone and might decide not to come at all. The exclusionary policy cheapens the atmosphere and instills isolation between Lakewood and our expanded community.

The awaited return to Homecoming should feel exciting for everyone. However, the lack of outside students, hype, and timely information puts a drag on this year’s celebrations. Hopefully, this is not reflected in the dance Saturday.