As you walk into the Simpson Upper School trying not to trip over your long mum, you see so many lights and ribbons. Almost every girl has a mum, some even light up and cover the girl’s chest. You hear bells every time someone takes a step. You walk down to the Commons and see everyone taking pictures with their beautiful mums. As you see everyone in their mums and talking about the fast approaching football game and dance you begin to wonder what Homecoming would be like if you lived in a different state. Some people might claim that Homecoming in Texas is too extreme compared to other states. High schools in other states such as New York and California do not emphasize Homecoming as much as we do in Texas.
On average, each person spends around four hundred dollars on Homecoming at All Saints’. This totals one hundred and sixty thousand dollars spent on Homecoming just in our School. This is a large amount of money spent on just one school dance. With all of the time, effort, and money put into Homecoming we begin to wonder, is Homecoming in Texas too extreme?
Other schools in Texas such as, Fort Worth Country Day, Trinity Valley School, Arlington Heights High School, St. John’s School of Houston, and Montgomery High School also exaggerate Homecoming. From the football game to the mums to the dance, Homecoming is a big deal in Texas. However, this is not exactly the case for high schools in other states.
Grace Money, a sophomore here at All Saints’ just moved to Texas from California, where Homecoming is very different. When asked about the culture of Homecoming in California, she said, “I think homecoming is definitely a bigger deal in Texas than in California. For example, in California, we didn’t have mums; most of my friends had never heard of a mum.” There are many differences in Homecoming in California and in Texas, especially with the homecoming dance. “Yes we had a homecoming dance, but no one really went with a date. Most people went in big groups with friends. The only time anyone asked someone was if they were dating.” This is very different than in Texas where most people get asked to Homecoming.
Mrs. Vacirca, the English I Honors and English II Honors teacher at All Saints’ just moved to Texas from New York. “I had not heard of a mum until the first week of school here. I have never seen one in real life.” When asked about the culture of Homecoming in New York, Mrs. Vacirca explained, “There was a Homecoming game, there was a float, and there was a dance. There were all of those things but not as big, for example, our Homecoming dance was in our gym. Some people went and some did not, it was not a school-wide event.” Homecoming for Mrs. Vacirca as a student in New York was not as big of a deal as Homecoming is here in Texas.
Some may claim Homecoming is too extreme in Texas, but most will say they like it. Even though high schools in Texas make Homecoming a big deal, most Texans would not have it any other way.
