Plans & Provisions: Homecoming
One recently concluded event that occupied many SUA girls' minds is Homecoming. Whether you attended St. Xavier’s, Moeller's, or any of the other schools in the Cincinnati area, homecoming is a pinnacle high school moment filled with many memories that will be forever cherished. With any dance comes extreme preparation, especially one with such popularity and importance.
The search to find a date is the first step in the homecoming process and can be stressful and occupied the minds of Ursula girls for quite some time. The action of inquiring about a date is the ticket into the dance itself and therefore the first and most crucial step with this important event.
Nowadays, most homecoming proposals are simple but thoughtful. Maddie Edmondson '24 claims she was joking with her future date about the upcoming dance which led him to pop the anticipated question. Edmondson explains, “He said he only wanted to take me'' leading to match making of a happy homecoming couple.
For others, extravagance was the right move as Kenzie Huesman '24 was greeted with a poster in hand by her date Sam Zobrist, taking a picture to capture the memory.
Once a date is secured, the issue of organizing a group comes into play. The dream dynamic is being placed with your friend group. In reality, this may not be the case. Mackenzie Reinert '24 states, “In my St. Xavier homecoming group I only knew two people in the smaller group I was placed in and my SUA friends were not in it, but my Moeller group was bigger and I had friends for that.”
In multiple instances, dates were acquired through mutual friends as Andrea Endaya MND '24 was invited “last minute through a friend of a friend in a west side group despite having no relation to my date. It was a good way to meet people as I was not familiar with that general group.''
Once the stress of a date is in the past, choice in dress is key to look your finest for one of the most important nights. The options are limitless with countless styles, the only problem being acquiring the desired dress. Grace Ritze '24 attended both Moeller and St. Xavier homecoming and therefore “wore the same style dress for both dances just in different colors,” Ritze claims. “With my dress ordering, didn't have too much problem finding the dress as I had seen it on the website but never had a reason to buy it until homecoming!” Grace's creativity shone when matching with her dates as she states she “wore a brown dress with black shoes and my date wore a brown tie to match for Saint Xavier. For Moeller, she “wore the same variation of my first dress in black and my date wore a red tie to match with my shoes.”
The search for shoes can be demanding as the perfect pair of heels are in high demand by girls all around the tristate. Liliana Marcheschi '24 took an underrated but chic approach as her underestimated choice paid off with style.
The freshman homecoming experience is definitely something to highlight as this first year tension can have some 9th graders feeling anxious about the festivities. Lily Hillerich '25 states that “the dance wasn't awkward but I didn't know many people. But I had fun with my date. There wasn't as much dancing but I met a lot of freshmen (some awkward). The boys were crazy! (and have awful music taste)”
The concocting and composing of outfits, dates and plans is all worth it once the day of homecoming arrives but the execution of the plans is what makes or breaks the night. Rachel Gaffney, Madeira '24 attended Saint Xaviers homecoming with a scattered group of individuals from all over the east side coming together as “my homecoming group ate dinner at The Boathouse downtown. The food was great and everyone had a really fun time and the parents took multiple pictures. Homecoming was great! With fun music and so many people it was a blast!” Saint Xavier's homecoming reigning most popular, the dance was held at Starlight Pavilion and was truly a night to remember
The aftermath of homecoming definitely reflects loads of amusement and pleasure with the results of the night. The homecoming gossip can be put in the past with only pictures and joyous memories to recall unforgettable nights. The general consensus of SUA looks back at homecoming fondly but is glad to put the stress and planning in the past. Homecoming will forever be known throughout the high school population as one of the best experiences in our teenage years as this night to remember definitely lives up to its name.