As sophomore Ian Otos recalls the Homecoming dance that occurred last week, he reflects on the benefits of the new location of the dance.

“I thought (Homecoming) went really well. I know some people weren’t to jazzed about (the dance) being at the school, but I thought it was a lot better because it was getting really expensive with the room and the buses,” Otos said. “I felt like (Homecoming at the school) opened up a lot of opportunities to bring food and we had a lot more space. I felt like overall it was a success.”

According to Student Council adviser Sarah Lindenberg, the spirit portrayed by students contributed to the success of Homecoming.

“(Student Council) sold over 700 tickets, which is usually the range we sell for a very successful dance. School spirit seems to be a little higher this year, possibly because Homecoming was so soon this year,” Lindenberg said.

Lindenberg said Student Council hopes to foster a sense of pride in the student body. According to Lindenberg, Student Council has already noticed an increase in school spirit this year.

“(School spirit) always seems to be a running goal each year. Students’ primary focus is to feel like they belong and have pride in their school, I think with the pep fests, we’ve seen more results with that this year,” Lindenberg said.

Otos said he enjoys the encouragement of the dress codes and school song because they create a sense of unity within the school.

“I really like those changes because it brings the whole school together and it helps get (students) more involved,” Otos said.

Junior Cailey Hansen-Mahoney said she is excited to continue traditional Student Council-run events and help out the school. According to Hansen-Mahoney, blue ribbons were being handed out in support of Officer Mathews, and the council plans to host other events in support of his family.

“I’m excited to do more blood drives, I think the dances will be really fun and I think with the death of Officer Mathews, we’re going to be doing a lot of work with the things he kind of started. (For example), we’ll be doing the Toys for Tots drive, which (Mathews) did a lot with the police department, so I think that’ll be good for the community,” Hansen-Mahoney said.