Homecoming assembly walkout looks like one time misstep

Hundreds of students left before the ending of the homecoming assembly last Wednesday. 

The annual assembly introduces the homecoming court, has them engage in a couple of quick games, and is followed by the lunch shifts, but during this assembly, hundreds of students got up from the bleachers and left early, many more than could be stopped by the staff.

It’s important to note that this is a first, something that has never occurred before. But was it a fluke, a one time result, or does it bode negatively for future homecoming and assemblies in general. 

The timing of the assembly has been given a portion of the blame, as it is usually held earlier in the morning in previous years. Having the assembly directly before lunch is something new. This is among a unique set of circumstances that came together allowing something like this to occur. “I don’t think this is going to be a trend. We set a precedent that this is unacceptable” said Activity Director Troy Becker, who said he isn’t worried about the next homecoming assembly and other assemblies going forward.

But this still begs the question of whether or not this had anything to do with the timing of the assembly, or was it due to students having a lack of interest in a homecoming court? Not as many schools have a homecoming court anymore, and maybe homecoming as a whole is becoming uninteresting in the eyes of students?

But these concerns have been proved unfounded by the homecoming pep rally that was held at the end of the day on Friday, a time where students would have an impulsive urge to leave early for the weekend. 

Points can be made about how the content of the homecoming court event might be more captivating for the intended audience, but the most reasonable solution is most likely audience participation.

The pep rally was more engaging than the homecoming assembly just two days earlier, which may be the difference when contrasted with this homecoming assembly and prior homecomings. Some students may have thought that the assembly was boring, and with lunch immediately following, they felt they had reason to leave early. This may have sparked other students, who might have felt more neutral towards the assembly, to leave as well. 

Becker said he thought this is the first and last time that something like this happened, and if the pep rally is anything to go off of, he is most likely right.