Briar Woods Homecoming 2019

Taken+by+the+The+DCDJS%2C+find+them+on+Instagram+at+%40thedcdjs+and+%40typhoon_dmv

Taken by the The DCDJS, find them on Instagram at @thedcdjs and @typhoon_dmv

Chloe DeFilippo and Anna Chung

BEFORE

 

It’s that wonderful time of year again: Homecoming. It’s the lovely season during which we all gather to celebrate our reunion as a school. This year’s theme was Las Vegas, and it was held on September 7th, an early homecoming for the fourth consecutive year. 

 

Jake Oudrhiri, a junior, attended the dance this year because “all of [his] friends are going and [he] had fun the other years.” Where some students don’t love the fact that the dance will take place so early, Jake saw the good. “I think it’s kinda cool. Our first game of the year is our Homecoming.”

 

Despite the building excitement, some students found certain aspects of the dance lacking. “I wish there was food at Homecoming; there are only water bottles,” Jake expressed. 

 

Lizzy Aleman, a junior, found another issue with the dance. “It’s super important to have good music to keep everyone dancing.”

 

However, Senior Sean Ferris believed that in spite of all of the hype and pitfalls, Homecoming is something every high schooler should experience. “You should go at least once. You don’t have to have a date. Just go with friends.”

 

THE DANCE

Taken by Karissa Yeskis of the Falcon Flyer

Entering the dance, the view is lines of students queued up to check in. In the distance, Briar Woods students and their company stand, looking sharp and done up, in congregations. A green screen photobooth area and a camera larger than a watermelon are posed, ready to capture memories. Next to it are the clan of students waiting for their faces to be printed behind a Las Vegas background. 

Taken by the The DCDJS, find them on Instagram at @thedcdjs and @typhoon_dmv

Down the hall, past the lounging students escaping the chaos, the entrance to the gym looms. It is dark, ominous, with promises of loud music and neon lights lurking just behind. And that’s exactly what it is. Inside, it’s nearly impossible to see anything under purple, pink, green, blue lights. The music is blaring. 


The crowd roars as the music builds up to the climax. Abruptly, the music dies down, and the crowd turns to look questioningly at the DJ.

 

“I think we need to do that again,” he hollers. “I brought some friends to help us out!” 

 

As students jostle for a peek, brightly lit robotic clad dancers emerge. The bass thrums once again, and the dancers are met with cheers and iPhone cameras, all clamoring to capture the unexpected entrance.

Taken by the The DCDJS, find them on Instagram at @thedcdjs and @typhoon_dmv

As sweat slowly pervades the gym, students escape to grab a breath of fresh air. Mr. Sarmento, one of our beloved math teachers, stands behind the concession stand, tossing water bottles left and right to students hoping to quench their thirst, their throats hoarse from a night of yelling. 

 

Briar Woods pupils danced until they dropped, and when they did, they wearily weaved their way out of the school, only to find a gaggle of students already blocking the exit, their expressions long and irked at the unforeseen turn of events: a sign out sheet.

 

After an unexpectedly long wait, students were finally able to exit the building and look back on a memorable night.

 

Taken by the The DCDJS, find them on Instagram at @thedcdjs and @typhoon_dmv

AFTERTHOUGHTS

 

Monday morning saw students returning to school, still recovering from the aftermath of Homecoming weekend. The school was abuzz with talk about the dance. 

 

This year, DC DJs lit up the dance floor with neon lights and dancing robots. Some of the song selections included throwbacks like “Gangnam Style”  and “Low” by T-Pain, as well as some popular new selections like “Sicko Mode”.

 

Taken by Karissa Yeskis of the Falcon Flyer

 

One of the glitches that night was leaving the dance. A new requirement was for students to sign out on a Google form before leaving. “I didn’t really get the point,” said senior Rachel Davidson, echoing the frustrations of many students. Students left the dance expecting a quick exit, but instead were met with hordes of students, all being herded through more lines to sign out. 

 

After getting over the unexpected delay, however, students left with smiles, sharing laughter and memories with their friends as they walked out of school into the night.

 

Despite a few snags, the dance was an overall success. “Honestly, setting up homecoming is always a ton of work, but it’s worth it in the end, “ says senior SCA members Sunya Qamar. “Our SCA works so hard to put together these events, but we love every second of it.”

 

For freshmen, homecoming was their first taste of a quintessential high school experience, while for seniors, it was the first of their lasts – their last chance to share this fall tradition with their closest friends. 

Taken by Karissa Yeskis of the Falcon Flyer