This upcoming Saturday, November 5, members of the Lawrenceville community will attend the annual Homecoming Dance after a day of many different sports events against our rival institution, The Hill School. Although attendance is not required, many of us students write Homecoming proposals to people with whom they would like to attend the dance. While last year’s Homecoming was a popular event, many students have especially high hopes for the dance this year. As Kosiso Okonkwo ’25 noted, the dance is “a spectacular event that really engages the student body and brings [the Lawrenceville community] together as a whole.”
Often, the high burden of schoolwork and major assignments can prevent Lawrenceville students from truly enjoying their weekends on campus, but there are no classes this Saturday morning, allowing Lawrentians to focus their spirits on sports games against Hill and the Homecoming Dance. Okonkwo expressed that her friends from home go to “football games every Friday,” which is why she believes that “Homecoming is one of the only times we feel like we’re at a real high school.”
Stephens House Prefect Allison Zhu ’23 is especially eager to see all of her prefectees “dressed up and excited, [because] there’s always a great energy when everyone’s getting ready and hanging out with friends.” As a V Former, Zhu explained that she is “sad to have this be the last” Homecoming she attends at Lawrenceville, but she is also “mainly just pretty excited” about the event.
Charles Potter ’25, a new III Former, thinks that attending the dance will “be fun and a good way to meet people.” Homecoming offers a great way for students to bond with both people inside and outside of their respective Forms.
This year, the Homecoming dance will take place in the concert halls in theClark Music Center. Many students are looking forward to this year’s event’s change in venue, including Claire Robbins ’24, who is “very excited for it not to be in the [Kirby Arts Center] Lobby again.”
Because Homecoming typically falls on a weekend between Halloween and Thanksgiving, Diego Nunez ’25 noted that “it’s going to be a great time getting festive for the holiday season.” The dance takes place only a couple weeks before Thanksgiving break, allowing students to spend quality time together before they go home for a week.
As far as creating good Homecoming proposals go, Zhu believes that there is “not an exact formula for the ‘perfect proposal,’ as every case depends on what the person wants, so it’s best to use discretion.”
Alice Kizilbash ’25 expressed that she wants “to see some more HoCo proposals. They’ve been a little bland, [and she has] only seen one or two.” Kizilbash thinks that more students should publicly propose at weekly school meetings.
On the night of the Homecoming dance, Lawrenceville students have a lot of fun getting dressed up and going out with friends. The dance offers a great way for students to unwind, relax, and enjoy their time at Lawrenceville right before major assignments and finals exam week begin.