It was that time of year again when students of all grades were scrambling to the student bank, trying to be the first to purchase a Homecoming (HOCO) ticket. Everyday during lunch period and after school, students crowded outside the counseling office and waited patiently. But on October 3, a mass of students left feeling disappointed and frustrated. Why? For the first time in years, Mark Keppel High School (MKHS) had sold out of HOCO tickets. 

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, this is the first time that HOCO will be held indoors in the Arena. 750 total tickets were prepared in accordance with the room capacity, and 700 of them were available to students. Nobody, however, expected for all of them to sell out, as the average number of tickets sold each year is approximately 350 to 450 tickets. Some students began selling or giving away their tickets to friends and desperate buyers. However, since the tickets were only souvenirs and IDs of the original buyers were already recorded, that practice was banned.

For our ASB advisor Ms. Christina Carmona, the ticket sellout was the highlight of her day. “I’m so excited, I’m so glad everybody wants to be a part of HOCO,” she said. “I wish we could sell an unlimited amount of tickets.” Under Carmona’s supervision, each class council hosted a food and beverage booth, and all of the decorations were prepared by ASB. 

When the day of HOCO arrived, students were not limited to just the Arena but were able to spend time at the outdoor food court or wait in line for the photo booth, which was by far the most crowded area of the night. Later into the dance, more students joined the Arena, dancing in large crowds. Some even threw water into the air in their excitement. On both sides of the Arena, friends coupled in front of decorated posters to take photos.

Originally, a biodegradable balloon release was planned in order to pay homage to the Disney movie that inspired this year’s theme, “Tangled.” Unfortunately, that was canceled at the last minute.