TKC asked staff and students’ opinions on having Friendship Dance with Webster Groves High School opposed to a homecoming with only KHS.

Julia Knoll

“[Friendship Dance] is a very good thing,” Helena Verbrugge, freshman, said. “We’ve had this rivalry forever, and [the Friendship Dance shows us that] we’re teenagers with the same interests. We always get so hyped up when we beat Webster, and I’m pretty sure Webster gets hyped up when they beat us too. It’s the one night we all come together and have fun, not thinking that we have to win. It’s more like ‘you’re a teenager, I’m a teenager, let’s hang out.’”

Julia Knoll

“Friendship dance would be better if we did it without Webster,” Jessie Hopper, junior, said. “I never really thought homecoming was that fun. When we do it with Webster, we’re all in one spot and the gyms at both schools aren’t big enough. If we did it without Webster, it would be a little more breathable. Kirkwood students tend to stay with Kirkwood students and Webster students tend to stay with Webster students, so what’s the point of doing it if you’re not interacting with each other? You just want to be with your friends and the people you know on the night you want to remember.”

Julia Knoll

“I never really had an opinion one way or another,” Lucas Ravenscraft, social studies teacher and former KHS student, said. “At least coming into high school, I thought [the Friendship Dance] was kind of weird because everyone else I knew at different schools had [regular] homecoming. However, after freshman year, it was just like ‘Oh well that’s the way it is;’ and you don’t think much about it. In my experience, half of the gym contained all of the Kirkwood students and the other half was all Webster students. It felt like two dances happening at the same time, but not really together.”

Julia Knoll

“It’s definitely a good experience to have a dance with Webster,” Elizabeth Mulligan, junior, said. “Since we’re rivals, it gives us a chance to come together and not be fighting each other and it’s really fun. I understand why some people don’t like it but it’s a tradition.”

Julia Knoll

“It’s definitely good that we have friendship dance with Webster,” Aj Wallach, junior, said. “It adds to the sense of community between us and Webster because they’re right next to us and we’re not that different. It would be nice to meet some new people and have some friendliness between us rather than just competition. School dances are usually pretty boring, but it’s more fun with Webster. I interact with Webster students at Cross Country meets so I know some of them and I’m able [to hang out with them] at Friendship Dance.”

Julia Knoll

“I think Friendship Dance should be without Webster,” Mohamed Omar, junior, said. “The Webster and Kirkwood students are split into their own groups and don’t converse so I don’t see the point of having it. [With just Kirkwood] it would be way more fun. The tradition is definitely important but it’s for football and other sports, not Friendship Dance.”