The lights were blinding, the music was booming, and the mosh pit was buzzing. 

Homecoming, which took place Saturday, October 2, at Loyola Academy in the East Gym, marked the beginning of a return to normalcy within our quaint school community. 

This dance was like no other, to say the very least. Masks were required, time slots were assigned, and only Loyola students were allowed entry. 

The mask rule has been following us around since the beginning of COVID, and the Homecoming dance was no exception to this rule. Initially, the dance was supposed to take place outside; however, due to a series of unfortunate weather events, our dance was forced to be inside. Despite the masks, there was no cover on the amount of fun students had at the dance.

Time slots were given to each of the three classes that were allowed to attend the dance. The event ran from 6:45-10:30 sophomores going first, then seniors, and wrapping up the evening with the juniors.

The scheduling of the evening was not very flexible, and neither was admissions. The faculty and staff at Loyola Academy checked people in at the door, checking them in with their ID numbers and photos. Meanwhile, at the end of each group, they ensured that all of the students from the previous class exited so that the next group could have their fun. 

Although I was not present for the sophomore or senior portions of the dance, the junior class’ homecoming was a blast. People were singing, dancing, smiling, and laughing. For one night, it was as if all the stress of our everyday lives took a back seat, and we all just enjoyed being in the moment. There were times where students even had the opportunity to get up on stage and sing and dance with the DJ.

The homecoming dance was an event that brought us all back together once again to celebrate the Loyola Academy family and reinforce the idea that we (in the sense of our community) survived and even thrived throughout COVID.