Will there be a Homecoming dance? That is the question on many students’ minds as the Homecoming season rolls around. As the fourth week of classes comes to a close, students finally have an answer: Tampa Prep will not have a Homecoming dance at any point this school year.

   Carl Carlson, head of the upper school, explained that it is not safe to host a Homecoming dance at the moment. 

   “There are just too many variables in the world,” he said.

   In order to be able to have Homecoming dance, there would need to be a guarantee that a spread of COVID-19 was not possible, whether through containment or a vaccine.

   “We’d need effectively 0% positive cases,” Carlson said.

   Lisa Harman, Student Council advisor, worked with the hotel where the dance is normally held to push the school’s contract back a year. The current plan is to have it in October of that year, although depending on the situation at that point, it could change.

   “As of 2021 we’re optimistic that the numbers will be low enough” Harman said. “I don’t have a specific number but that’s something we’ll have to think about as we get closer to next year.”

   In the meantime, Student Council is focused on elections, but her hope is that once new leaders and grade representatives are elected, they can begin to make plans.

   “We’re talking to the athletics department about how we can support sports teams without being able to attend games [and] we’re trying to work on how we can help create some spirit with maybe spirit days where you dress when you’re on campus or having students participate in activities in class assemblies or upper school assemblies”

   Carlson said that he and the rest of administration would be open to helping safe ideas proposed by students or Student Council take place. 

   “If they have ideas we can use our resources to make them happen,” he said.

   While it’s disappointing that the Homecoming dance will not happen this year, canceling it is the safe choice. Community safety comes first, but students can still have fun if they take initiative to plan and work with Student Council and administration to make their plans happen.