By Caitlyn Kirby
After being denied a semi-formal homecoming dance for the past three years by Principal Chris Conley, juniors Layna Bowman and Jazlyn Caldwell decided to have their own dance that is separate from the school.
Bowman and Caldwell originally got the idea from senior Kaylee Kern, who had heard that students at other schools were having their own dances not associated with the school.
The dance will be on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 7-10 p.m. at The Gathering church. People from other schools are allowed if they come with someone from Delta.
“Homecoming should be a big deal to people and I feel like we downgrade it,” Bowman says. “So we’re trying to make it as fun as possible so that more people will want to do stuff for it in the coming years.”
To begin planning for the dance, they first had to find a venue. Caldwell interns at The Gathering, so she and Bowman thought this would be the easiest option. After getting The Gathering’s approval, and the dollar amount to rent it out for the night, they had to find someone to do the music.
Brenden Mead, a 2022 Delta graduate, was more than willing.
“Brenden helped us with the Sweethearts dance, so we knew that he had experience and that he’d be willing to help out,” Bowman says.
Once they found music, they needed to find adults to chaperone. They began to ask every parent and adult they knew and made a Google form to keep track of how many chaperones they had. The Gathering requires one adult for every 12 students.
In the process of these things they had to complete several tasks. These included making a flier to make sure it was advertised, figuring out a price for tickets, determining what decorations to get, deciding who is bringing desserts, communicating with chaperones and telling them what they needed to do.
“I don’t think people realize what it takes to plan a dance,” Bowman says. “It makes it worth it come Saturday when we’ll be able to see everyone dressed up and having fun on the dance floor.”
You are still able to get a bid from Bowman and Caldwell.
