From a change in the school mascot in 1971 to the building of a new high school in more recent years, Davie County High School has seen a lot of change, as all things do, since its founding in 1956. The most recent change at our school is the revitalization of the Homecoming Dance tradition, making an appearance, for the first time in more than 10 years, on October 8th. 

With the idea from some students and the help of some teachers, the Homecoming dance is officially coming back, and with a bang too.  According to Amber Brandon, a member of the HOCO dance planning team as well as a chemistry teacher at the high school, an estimated 750 students bought tickets to attend the homecoming dance. Back and better than ever, a DJ, catering, and a photo booth are expected to entertain the dancers. With this being said, it’s apparent that the dance is of interest to the student body, which brings us to the next question: why did the Homecoming Dance stop? 

In an effort to answer this question and learn more about the history of the homecoming dance, I’ve talked to some teachers around the school who experienced the homecoming dance themselves firsthand as a student of Davie County High School. 

Graduating in 1994, math teacher Shannon Patton experienced the Davie High Homecoming Dance her senior year. With enthusiasm, she described how the Homecoming dance was held immediately after the Homecoming football game, and how the “semi-formal” attire worn at the dance differs from the relatively extravagant attire thought of as “semi-formal” today. In the gymnasium of the old high school, the Homecoming Queen was introduced by dancing with her sponsor. Why the Homecoming Dance went dormant for so long is unclear. Mrs. Patton assumes the popularity of the dance gradually fizzled out, and students lost interest in the tradition. 

Another alumnus who is now a teacher at Davie High School, Julie McCandless, gave me her scoop on the homecoming dance. She tells me that at the time she was at Davie, they never had a Homecoming dance. However, they did have Spirit Week festivities, a steadfast tradition compared to the wavering consistency of the Homecoming dance. Photos of students boisterously participating in the said festivities date back to the 1993 yearbook. 

Uncovering the breadcrumbs of the past was fun, but it’s time to speak of the future. The 2022 Homecoming festivities include everything but the kitchen sink, from the Homecoming game, Spirit Week, a bonfire, and, of course, the Homecoming dance. Just think, maybe in a couple of decades or so, future students of Davie County High will be writing about our Homecoming dance—our present, but their past.