Homecoming Wasn’t Exactly a Walk Down the Yellow Brick Road

Brett McKenzie

“There’s no place like homecoming” Said Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, or something close to that. This years Homecoming theme was the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It was almost scary how all out they went, tornado and all.
One of the school’s counselors Jeff Miner had some worries for the dance. One worry was:
“We were worried that the dances attendance would drop because the Michigan and Michigan State college football game was taking place at the same time as the dance” Said Mr. Miner.
But with a turnout of about 1300 to 1400 kids, the dance was considered a success. A DJ, Flashing lights, and overwhelmed freshmen, the whole shabang.
Almost immediately as you enter the school you could hear the music blasting from the Auditorium. Once inside, you could feel the loud dance music and bass vibrating through your chest. Some students enjoyed the music while others did not like the song selections.
Senior Justin Peters said “The music choice was mediocre”.
Though the dance isn’t as formal as it once was, most people were dressed in more professional attire. Girls wearing expensive dresses they only wear once or twice and guys in button up shirts and ties. There were also underclassmen wearing full suits which they soon regretted and a few students were spotted wearing nothing more than a wife beater (undershirt tank top) and pants.
In the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, the main character Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto get swept up from her home state of Kansas by a tornado and find themselves in the Land of Oz. Ironically, during the last hour or so of the dance everyone in attendance was packed down into freshman hall due to a tornado warning. Severe thunderstorms with winds around 60 miles per hour were moving from Gregory to Howell. The storm had the chance to form a tornado, yet it never fully did thankfully.
Students had to wait patiently in freshman hall, anxiously awaiting the all clear. The hallway filled with murmurs of worry and others whispering if after parties were still a go. With that many bodies packed into one confined area of course it was hot. Every door and window was fogged up and students could see their own footprints due to the amount of condensation on the tile floor.
After the tornado warning ended Students were directed back towards the auditorium. Some chose to stay and finish the last twenty or so minutes of the dance, and most just ended up leaving. With mixed opinions of the dance, some because of the tornado warning, the music choice, or even just the dance in general, it seems like most who attended still had a good time.
Senior Collin O’Berry when asked what he thought about the dance said, “The best part of the dance was the tornado”.