![Azalia Quinn fills out a mock ballot. On Thursday, Oct. 24 AP Government students did a pretend election to experience what it’s like. “If you can get [students] enthused about voting at a young age, the chances are higher that they’re going to continue this process throughout their adulthood,“ Brian Brown, the AP Gov teacher said.](https://mshsprospector.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/18FGwFbMo8mtfWGnVEvaqiODxDZhuV9ipRw3DAgL-1200x960.jpg)
Homecoming theme yields minimal participation
September 18, 2014
As many of us Mustangs know, this year’s homecoming theme is “board games.” Each day’s theme (in order corresponding to days of the week) is: Clue Day, Operation Day, Scrabble day, Toga/Class Colors Day, and Green and Gold Day. Student council was responsible for the selection of this year’s theme as they have been since my freshman year.
Student council, a group composed of an executive board and representatives from each class, contains 34 students. Every member of student council has an equal amount of say in what the theme is. Nevertheless, that gives the rest of the 492 students absolutely no say in what the theme may be regardless of the fact that the entire student body participates in homecoming.
This year’s theme hinders the ability for one to be creative in how they would like to participate. My freshman year, the theme was “superheroes,” a large majority of the students participated, and there was a huge variety of creative costumes. Four pages in that year’s yearbook were devoted to covering homecoming week, which is the most coverage that homecoming week has had in the yearbook my entire high school career.
The yearbook reporters are not to blame for the lack of coverage homecoming week has received since my freshman year, because there just simply hasn’t been as much participation. The students are also not to blame for this problem because they have been given themes that are harder to work with each year. In the years since my freshman year themes have included: “Through the Decades,” “Greek Mythology,” and this year’s theme, “Board Games.” Of those three, this year’s theme is the hardest to work with, and it shows; there has been the least amount of participation that I have seen in the entire duration of my time here at this school.
Though this recurring problem has grown into strain on Mustang school spirit, there is a simple solution that could possibly boost the school’s moral back up. Student council has in fact allowed the student body to vote on the Snowcoming dance themes, however in past years instead of voting for the theme on a ballot of some form, the student were required to donate money to the Make a Wish foundation and then specify what theme they wanted to pick out of a select few. This is a great way to prompt students to donate to a good cause and have the right to vote on their desired theme.
Student council plays an important role in the organization of school events, however, it is important that the entire student body has a say in how the important events such as homecoming will be organized. By giving the students a say in how these events are organized will help promote participation and boost school spirit. And that is something that the student body and faculty should strive for.
