During the first weeks of each school year, with homecoming right around the corner, our school’s halls are filled with excitement. Members of the Student Government Association (SGA), in charge of organizing the dance, were seen running around the school, decorating and arranging everything. 

   Along with the constant chatter among students about topics like what to wear and who to go with, one topic has managed to bring conflict within the school: the steep price of homecoming tickets. 

   Homecoming ticket pricing is determined by multiple factors. “Decoration, chairs, tables, food, and the tailgate consume much of the ticket price. We also invested in an arcade car this year, which also cost a lot,” SGA treasurer Alena Hecht said. 

   While the fee is covering this wide array of expenses, the ticket prices this year still seem higher than is necessary. “It makes sense to pay what we are paying since it helps fund SGA, but I personally do not think it is a reasonable price,” Hecht said. “I could see why people may not want to go.” 

   Additionally, ticket prices varied depending on when the ticket purchase was made. Tickets could be priced anywhere between $50 to $80–a pretty wide range. Sophomore Ana Clara Simoes purchased her ticket when the price was $60. “It’s crazy to pay so much just to dance for one night,” Simoes said. 

   However, Juliana Baier, a sophomore part of the SGA homecoming committee, believes the price is justified but understands the downsides of such a drastic change.“Yes, the ticket is a reasonable price because we pay for the DJ, the food, and the decorations.” Baier said.  

   Baier also acknowledged, however, that “sometimes the price can be too much for people to pay and it stops them from going.” This price has indeed prevented many students from attending the dance, including freshman Rishika Mavuluri. “Compared to the price my friends from other schools had to pay for homecoming, I feel like our school’s prices were a bit unreasonable,” Mavuluri said. “I would have definitely gone if the prices were more logical.”

   “I understand why people wouldn’t want to pay the price (for a ticket), but all of the decorations cost a lot of money,” Maria Zanon, a sophomore who is a part of the SGA class, said.

   If tickets excluded any charges that go to profit, “the tickets would only be about $30 to $40,” Zanon said. This hypothetical price is half of what most students paid for their ticket. Given that roughly half of the money collected from ticket sales is profit, some students have questioned if the prices were really necessary.

   The SGA makes clear that that profit is put into other SGA projects; in other words, no money received from homecoming goes to waste. When expenditures like food and decorations are deducted, the remaining sum is used to fund SGA to host school events for students, faculty and staff. Behind the scenes, SGA puts in an immense amount of effort organizing school events and doings. Homecoming is one of the most taxing school events the student body organizes, spending weeks on end assembling and arranging everything necessary. 

   Though SGA needs money to fund their school events, collecting this money can make those same events less accessible to many students. So, everything leads back to one question: Are SGA’s efforts and the outcome of homecoming worth the price? 

   SGA has many ways to earn money. They hold fundraisers all throughout the year and homecoming is just another opportunity to earn profit. But for students, homecoming is more than just an event and more than just a dance; it’s a core memory. Amidst exams, tests, college preparation, and so much more havoc, homecoming is a chapter in high school that students can look back on with a smile on their face. High school is a crucial time period in a person’s life as they are transitioning from adolescence to adulthood. This period of time will not come back. In this precious time, preventing students from creating memories for the sake of prices takes away from the point of the dance itself. Homecoming loses its purpose.

   Homecoming should be a celebration for all, where memories are made, friendships are strengthened, and every student has the opportunity to grasp at the fleeting moments of their adolescence without having to worry about financial burden.