By: Martin Goodwin, Andrew Lopez, Ryan Garcia
All of the madness caused by COVID-19 has led to the cancellation of one of STA’s most anticipated events. The Homecoming Dance being cancelled has caused a lot of mixed emotions from both the students and the administrators. However, those most impacted by this will, of course, be our senior Raiders. We roamed the halls and got some opinions of this cancellation by surveying some seniors.
We interviewed a Lady Raider, Ella Serrano. She was very disappointed that the homecoming dance had been cancelled. She stated, “As a senior in high school, we are the head of the school, and are entitled to homecoming because it is our final year and we have missed the last one. Seniors are missing out on the fundamentals of high school and won’t be able to breathe the memories of past alumni.” She pointed to the fact that student Raiders have already missed one homecoming dance. These cancellations are of course the result of COVID-19. Last year, St. Thomas Aquinas was unable to completely open because of the negative effect of COVID-19 on our society. Now there are opportunities for those who need the vaccine to receive it. COVID-19 is still out there, but the world is making the leap towards life as we knew it before the pandemic.
With the increased accessibility of COVID vaccines and a decrease in mask mandates, it seemed as though there may have been a possibility to partake in a homecoming dance. Our school is safer than ever, utilizing the 6 foot rule of space, wearing masks if unvaccinated, and spacing desks apart in classrooms. The students in every grade were hoping for a homecoming dance this year so that they could have a chance to go to this event with their friends and have the time of their life. The festivities connected to Homecoming, including the game, team spirit and culminating dance are one of the school’s most treasured traditions. Even though homecoming has been cancelled, the school is trying to still make school fun and enjoyable for everybody involved.