Look, I’m not someone who adores the Friendship Dance. I think the idea of KHS having our own homecoming before it’s below freezing outside is a lovely idea. However, I can admit that the Friendship Dance is a tradition that means a lot to a wide range of people. So, here are a few things you should know before absolutely bashing the Friendship Dance.

1. It’s been around since 1938; that’s 85 years of tradition for Kirkwood and Webster. Maybe that means it’s outdated, but that also means it’s really special. Imagine being able to experience the same night your grandparents did, or your great-grandparents. It’s kind of cool when you think about it like that.
2. The Friendship Dance started a few years after the Kirkwood-Webster football rivalry became violent, as a way to instill the right values in high schoolers. The Friendship Dance was used for a long time to teach the right lessons about healthy competition and relationships with rivals. In theory, this is a great way to teach young people how to balance different parts of themselves, such as competitiveness, with others, like friendship.
3. This tradition is a really unique event compared to other homecomings. Having a dance that’s special to Kirkwood and Webster is much more interesting than the same recycled homecoming that other schools have in my opinion. Sure, “Homecoming” looks fun on social media, with its warm, sunny weather that pairs nicely with the dresses girls wear, but similar to the Friendship Dance, it’s overhyped. All school dances are. The best part about the Friendship Dance is dressing up and hanging out with friends, not the dance itself. So think about that the next time you start to compare the actual dance aspect of the evening.
4. It adds to the November festivities. Friendship Dance, the Turkey Day game, pep rallies, spirit week and hallway decorating combined is the month of November for KHS. Just when students are burning out from the stress of first semester, the November festivities are there to lift everyone back up and push us to the finish line. The opportunity to dress up and spend time with friends is pretty exciting to me, and it definitely helps students have a fun night to forget about school.

Again, I’m not exactly pro-Friendship Dance, but even I have to admit it’s a pretty special tradition. So maybe instead of calling it “old-fashioned” or “outdated”, we should focus on the present. Chances are it isn’t going anywhere soon, so we might as well appreciate what we’ve got.