LSE students flood Prasch gym for 2021 Homecoming Dance

2021+HOCO+Court+-+Left+to+Right%3A+Beckham+Redepenning%2C+Khang+Nong%2C+Adalia+Maiyo%2C+Maggie+Jarnagin%2C+Liv+Bollen%2C+Jake+Appleget

Nicole Tinius

2021 HOCO Court – Left to Right: Beckham Redepenning, Khang Nong, Adalia Maiyo, Maggie Jarnagin, Liv Bollen, Jake Appleget

Alex Rezac, News Editor

On Friday, Oct. 8, 2021, Lincoln Southeast (LSE) students of all grades crammed into the crowded Prasch Gym for homecoming. This year’s theme, the Festival of Floating Lights, brought many shades of blue, red, black, white and more.
This year was a record in ticket sales according to LSE Student Council President Kendal Fenton.
“In total, we sold roughly 1400 tickets to the dance, which is roughly 200 more than we sold in 2019,” she said.
Fenton is very happy with how homecoming turned out, and although it takes a lot of time and effort to carry out school dances, she is glad to be a part of it.
This year, Southeast decided to stop crowning a homecoming queen and king to be more gender inclusive.
“It was a tradition at LSE to have Kings and Queens. However, like everything, times change and we have to adapt to them,” Fenton said.
One of the core values at LSE is respect, and this year’s change showed students that everyone is respected and valued regardless of their gender identity.
“We wanted all students to feel comfortable and represented while still keeping the spirit of the tradition alive,” she said.
Homecoming raises a lot of money for the school each year, and STUCO uses it to fund several different events throughout the school year.
“[The money] all goes back to the Southeast students and the community, which is why we love to do what we’re doing,” Fenton said.
Homecoming is something that many students look forward to throughout the year, and the dance has brought joy to many people.

Students gathered in the bleachers and crowded onto the gym floor as they waited for the Homecoming Court to be announced. Photo By: Nicole Tinius