HoCo 2025 – Friends, Sparkles, Skips and Backflips

Read Time:3 Minute, 21 Second

Homecoming felt a little early in 2025 to most of the students, especially the senior class. Hosted again at the Convention Center downtown , the date of the dance – Saturday, September 20th – was separated by about a week and a half from Spirit Week, HoCo Pep Rally, Homecoming Football Game and the King and Queen ceremony at Lenzner Field.

Shoes and phones stayed away as the dance floor was packed with students in 2025. This room, located on the city side of the Convention Center, has hosted AHS HoCo since 2023.

Other then a feeling that the night ended a bit shorter, it was much of the same from the past few years. Some kids were crowd surfed, the dance floor sometimes was a shove floor, people generally had fun, and the night belonged to looking good, sharing time with friends, and especially getting together before and after the dance.

Reflections on the DJ –
Highlights:

“Black” by Pearl Jam –
leaving song, seniors sang along pretty loudly – request from the seniors

Skips:

*Quickest skip chant came for Masked Wolf’s 2021 track “Astronaut In The Ocean”*

Attire:
Black and Red were popular color templates across the dance floor – including sequins, sparkles, or satin dresses
guys shifted more towards ties instead of bowties

Five members of the Freshman class paused to offer a combination bouquet photo. Most attendees, including those pictures, enjoyed time with friends before and after the dance as much as the moments at the Convention Center itself. Many of the freshman class shared their thoughts with Avonews reporters, giving a glimpse into the experience for first-time HoCo attendees in the class of 2029:

Anna Fowler -“I thought hoco was very fun. It was a good time to hang out with friends. And it was exciting. I really enjoyed before, during, and after. I do think that you have to be part of the action to enjoy yourself.”

Lailah Laird – “Hoco was a very fun time, and the DJ was great. I think it was a very good idea to have it at the convention center because it was very spacious and you could walk out on the balcony.”

Avery Jackson – “Having to plan the groups, who you’re going with, and how you’re getting there was kind of bad. They also didn’t have food at the event. Overall, it was fun.”

Jocelyn Grande -“I enjoyed hoco and it was a lot of fun to see everyone.”

“I thought it was really fun. I felt a lot of energy in the room. And I feel like there wasn’t any drama. I feel like I talked to a lot of people who I don’t usually talk to. It was nice to see everyone out of a school environment, seeing everyone dressed up and looking pretty. I think it was just good to see people in a different perspective without just being in school, sitting at a desk writing stuff down.”

-Reagan Hamilton

“I think it was really fun except for the part where everyone was stepping on my feet.”

-Alex Ludwig

“I think it was fun all around. I think the planning of it for groups and who you’re going with and dinner was a little bit stressful. But overall, it was fun. I think that not having food was kind of bad though.”

-Avery Jackson

“I think it was okay, good and bad. It was good because we got to connect with our friends and enjoy life. I think they should have better song choices and control how boys wear shoes and step on everyone’s feet.”

-McKenzie Haney

“I thought it was very fun to see everyone, take pictures, and just overall a blast.”

-Zoya Carlone