Principals of Wentzville School District high schools and central office staff made the decision to allow homecoming to occur this coming October, but on one condition- the dances take place on each school’s respective football fields.

“We are concerned about the potential spread of COVID-19 so we decided to hold the dance outside,” Liberty’s building principal Mr. Nelson said. 

The school plans on having the dance on Oct. 2 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. This is the first time the school has ever had a dance on the football field. Normally, it is held in the commons.

The theme for this year’s homecoming is “Dreaming in Gold.” Student council member Sruthi Ramesh (12), who is the chair of the homecoming dance says, “It is going to look like an award show. And there’s even going to be a red carpet!” 

When asked how the decorations are going to be with the dance being outside, Ramesh simply said “they will be more outdoor-oriented.” According to her, the silver lining of using the field is that they get to have more space for have more “grand” decorations. And if it rains on the night of the dance, the student council has a date to 

“Homecoming is going to be fun, don’t be discouraged from coming just because it’s outside,” Ramesh said.

Ramesh says that they plan on using a sound system fit for the outdoor venue, as well as filling the area with lights. Mr. Wheeler, a faculty member at Liberty, will be the DJ for the night. 

Many seem to be excited about having homecoming outside, but other students are not. Students Meredith Washburn and Reese Westhoff state that this will be their first homecoming and would have preferred it to be inside, but they think it will still be fun.

A concern that many female students at Liberty have is the ability to dance in heels while on turf.

Washburn claims, “I can’t even walk on normal floors in heels.”

This will not be an issue though, as the student council and LHS administration have made the decision that heels will not be allowed onto the field. Students will be asked to leave their heels in the car and/or bring in more comfortable shoe options for the dance floor.

Another qualm many students have is the possibility of cold weather on the night of the dance. The two girls were asked if they were going to be changing their dresses, and both said that they were going to keep with the tradition of short dresses for the homecoming dance.

“I still plan on wearing a short dress,” says Westhoff. 

Many are curious as to what this homecoming dance will be like. Ramesh assures, “Everyone will have a great time. It is going to be a very immersive dance because it is outside. It gives us the opportunity to make it on a much bigger scale than we ever have before.”

The student council is going to make sure everyone has fun while still following the safety guidelines for the school. One thing we know for sure is this homecoming is going to be one for the books.