- At right, David Bauer, senior, savors his last Friendship Dance, which he attended with a date. “It was alright,” Bauer said. “It’s not my favorite dance, but I chose to enjoy it because it’s my senior year.”
Imagine a gym full of KHS Pioneers. Girls in their dresses, boys in their suits, and not a single WGHS Statesman in sight. This has not been the scene for 74 years as KHS and WGHS have participated in the Friendship dance instead of a typical homecoming.
In the ‘80s it was brought to the schools attention that some students did not want to continue this dance. It got to the point where only about 500 kids were attending. Franklin McCallie, former KHS principal, successfully revived the Friendship dance. KHS is back to where it was in the 1980’s with swirling rumors that this will be the last year KHS participates in the Friendship Dance
.“We are considering this only because we have heard that it is what the students want,” Mike Wade, freshman principal, said, “but if it ever is changed, it won’t be in the near future.”
Romona Miller, assistant principal, said only in the past few years there has there been any signs of students wanting a change in the dance.
“Not only would some of the students be upset to see such a wonderful tradition end but I’m sure the alumni would be disappointed,” Romona Miller said.
According to a poll on thekirkwoodcall.com, 141 of 219 voters would rather have a traditional homecoming.
“I personally always thought Friendship was a good way to unite us because we’re obviously rivals,” Rachel Trout, sophomore, said. “But then again, it is kind of weird going to a dance with people you don’t know.”
Miller recently talked to a few students and said they seemed to want a traditional homecoming instead of the Friendship Dance.
“The fire marshal only allows us to have 2,000 students in the gym at once. The amount of guests that are allowed is minimal, and that is understandably frustrating to those who have a boyfriend or girlfriend from a different school,” Miller said. “With our own homecoming, we would lose tradition, but gain because of having a smaller group of students, there would be more room for guest dates.”
Speculation has also swirled around WGHS.
“I keep hearing that this will be the last year we have [the Friendship Dance],” Jordan Thompson, WGHS junior, said. “I don’t think they will end it because the administrators wouldn’t stop any part of this tradition that is nationally known. I personally like having the dance with Kirkwood. It is a fun experience that I would hate to see go.”
Miller said that not only would she be upset to see this dance go, but she believes that alumni would be heartbroken to see this tradition come to an end.
“[Friendship] is such a great tradition,” Andrea Mueller, KHS business teacher and WGHS graduate, said. “I would be very sad to see it end.”
Although speculation of a traditional homecoming continue to travel around the halls of KHS, it does not look like this will be the last of the KHS/WGHS Friendship Dance.
“This is too good of a tradition to break. If we take this away, who knows what other traditions we will lose,” Wade said. “Unless it is obvious that KHS students want their own homecoming, I do not see this dance changing anytime soon.”
