On Saturday, Sep. 21, Diamond Bar High School hosted its annual Homecoming dance at the ARTIC in Anaheim. This year’s theme was Postcards from Paradise.
As part of the usual homecoming lineup, there was a dance floor with a live DJ, karaoke, photo booths, casino games, pool tables, and air hockey. Organized by DBHS’ United Student Body (USB), USB spent several months planning the dance. Everything had to have been prepared in advance,from picking the right venue, booking the DJ, and setting up the decorations.
“We started planning Homecoming in February of 2024. We toured some venues with our advisor, Mrs. Van Horn, and our event planner, Diane,” USB special projects coordinator Carrie Chen said.“In the end, we decided that we liked ARTIC Anaheim the best. After picking our venue, we decided on a theme.”
USB needed to work around their limited budget. Fortunately, they were able to efficiently use the money that they were given to create a memorable event for the students.
“It takes a lot of time and communication to organize such a big event,” Chen said. “We had to take into consideration what our student body would like at Homecoming while also trying our best to make prices affordable.”
The ARTIC, located right across from the Angels Stadium and Honda Centers, is generally an active transportation hub, boasting an Amtrak train station. This unique venue for this year’s Hoco has received praise from several of this year’s attendees.
“The venue was great,” junior Aiden Ryu said. “I liked the big venue and how there were escalators.”
Besides dancing and admiring the venue from the inside, there were numerous other things to do as well. As many of the attendees sought a break from the dance floor, many flocked outside to explore the other activities offered.
“I liked the air hockey and pool table,” freshman Jay Bautista said. “There was actual entertainment there besides just a DJ and… just dancing.”
For those who desired a more thrilling activity, a mock casino was also present, located at the back of the venue. The casino was a hit with many of this year’s attendees, as many enjoyed being able to gamble without losing a profit.
Despite the overwhelmingly positive reception from many of this year’s attendees, however, there was also criticism to this year’s homecoming. The most prevalent complaint was the lack of food options compared to previous years.
“I really did not like how there was no food,”junior Nicholas Heng said. “I was starving and was told by many people that there was going to be food served.”
However, Chen stated that Homecoming is not an event with an emphasis on food and that the already high price tag of this year’s dance played a part in the lack of food options. Frozen yogurt and a handful of desert options were also provided at the dance.
Although this year’s dance wasn’t perfect, the dance was generally considered a success by many as the students here at Diamond Bar and one they will always remember. USB looks forward to improving and planning future activities for years to come.