This year, Oviedo High School’s Homecoming Dance will be held on September 28 with a week of spirit to raise excitement for the upcoming night. Junior Jeweliet Jenkins is among those excited about homecoming this year. Although she is not going, she has had experiences in previous years and will be a part of the setup for this year’s dance.

“You get to see a new side of the people around you every day,” Jenkins said when describing her past experiences. “When you see your friends, you only see them when they’re working or studying. Seeing these people that you only know in that environment, and seeing them all dressed up and ready for partying, that’s great.”

During her years at Oviedo High School, Jenkins has attended every other Homecoming and tries to attend every event. She always encourages others to join the fun. Senior Stevan Ridder agrees, saying that the dance is a great experience.

“I think not even just Homecoming, but the entire week itself is fun, including the hype leading up to it. It’s half the fun,” Ridder said when asked why Homecoming is so enjoyable. This will be his last year at Homecoming, representing Oviedo High School as senior class president in the Student Government Association (SGA).

Opinions on this year’s theme have been varied, but mostly positive. As a part of SGA, Ridder had some positive comments about the decision to make the out-of-this-world theme.

“I like the theme a lot. We made it last year, around April, and we all kind of came up with it.” Ridder said. “We liked all the spirit days we made up for it, and basically, just the decorations and the general vibe.”

Ridder describes his favorite part of Homecoming as the setup. This year’s theme is all about space.

“For me at least, it’s kind of seeing it come to life,” Ridder said.

Oviedo High has varied opinions though, and others have neutral opinions on the theme.

Sophomore James Goodwin touched on his own opinion of the dance. “I’d say it’s fun. It’s going to be interesting to see, with all the decorations, but it just sounds interesting. I wouldn’t say it’s the best idea. I wouldn’t say it’s the worst idea,” Goodwin said.

This year will be his second time at Homecoming, and he is excited to experience this year’s celebration. He thinks that between the classes, either freshmen or seniors enjoy Homecoming the most.

“For freshman, it’s not exactly middle school, it’s different,” Goodwin said.

Homecoming is all about school spirit and the community. This same sense of community and school spirit at OHS’s Homecomings has been especially prevalent in the past, and this year will be no different. Homecoming will remain one of the most anticipated events at Oviedo High School and other schools alike for years to come.