Year after year, students form Homecoming groups and go anywhere but the dance.

The infamous tradition – where only underclassmen attend the Homecoming dance – spurred Excalibur, the boys’ service organization, and Student Senate to take steps to increase attendance at the dance this year on Sept. 9.

Excalibur advisor, Chris Stirrup believes that students will be happier if they go.

“A lot of kids will regret [skipping the dance] later in life, going, ‘Gosh, I wish I was more involved with what high school had,’” he said.

He and Excalibur have been identifying what students have disliked about Homecoming dances in the past in order to make this dance more desirable. For one, the patio will be ten times bigger this year.

“Last year we had a pretty small patio and it got pretty full,” he said. “It was obvious that kids just wanted to hang out and chat with their friend.”

Senior Julia Bierylo has attended Homecoming in the past and believes more decorations in the gyms would improve the dance.

“You don’t want to be reminded you’re at a school.” she says.

Stirrup has the same opinion.

“I don’t want kids that when they walk up to the gym going, ‘Oh, I’m here at Cherry Creek High School’ I want kids saying, “Oh, this is an experience.”

For this year, Stirrup is excited for the new and improved decorations such as lights, smoke effects, and lasers.

“We rented a whole bunch of cool stuff to look at that’ll give us a nice theme,” he said.

Upperclassmen tend to say they don’t attend because they’re friends aren’t going. Lauren Sall, the Student Body Activities Coordinator, expressed her concern over this.

“They always say, ‘No one goes so it’s not fun,’” she says. “They always assume no one goes.”

Sall’s ideas parallel with students’ thinking.

“I’m just not really into that kinda stuff,” sophomore Kinsey McDaniel said.  “The dances are kinda lame. Well, I’ve never been to one so I don’t really know.”

Many students are discouraged by the rumors they hear about the dance before they even go and end up never attending. This worsens the problem of student attendance and strengthens the tradition.

Sophomore Sheriah Stephen actually attended the dance in fall of 2016, recalling that her friends only stayed for “10 minutes” and then left satisfied with the experience.

“No one was dancing,” she said.  “Everyone was standing around.” She didn’t believe that the dance was really worth more than the allotted 10 minutes, nor a visit this year.

Many people have enjoyed the dance, though, and feel that if more people attended it would be more fun.

“I wish more people came,” Sall said. “If you get your whole group to come, it’s a blast.”