Central York High School (CYHS) held their homecoming Oct. 16, which was originally scheduled to occur outside.

Since the opening of the new high school, this would have been the first time that the homecoming dance would have been held outdoors. With a cautious approach to dancing close to each other while maskless, the district felt an open air dance would fit perfectly.

“The comfortability of people. I think we had a very elegant and successful prom last year and we notice that some schools are doing some different things,” said assistant principal Gerald Eisner. 

 Prom was outside in the Spring of 2021 and a resounding success. The difference is that more people go to homecoming than prom. It might not work, and it might go back to what the district has always done before.  

Ultimately, the decision to have homecoming inside was made Saturday afternoon and relayed to district families. As students arrived, they walked into a gym decorated for the night ahead.

The lights were strung across the top of the gym, the music was blaring, and everyone was dancing to their favorite songs.

“It is good to have everyone back together,” said sophomore Layla King.

With homecoming canceled last year because of COVID-19, students were happy to get back to some kind of normalcy again and have fun with friends.

“It was lit. It was crazy. It was groovy,” said sophomore Rubi Medina.

“It was fun seeing all my friends and everyone having a good time together,” said sophomore Bryana Myers.

Though the dance is the highlight of Homecoming, it is not the only item on the list for the week. Students participate in spirit week, the parade, the bonfire/pep rally and then the game Friday night.

“It is a nice community event where we can bring everyone together and just celebrate Central,” said Eisner. 

The planning started in July with having to figure out details with food trucks, police coverage and football schedules. This was led by varsity club advisor Erin Walker. Without her none of this would happen.

“There are a lot of moving parts in all of this,” said Eisner.

The parade brings high school students together with students from all the elementary schools. Many of those are younger siblings of high school students. 

“There are not many people who can say they had that kind of experience,” said Eisner when discussing the district’s participation in the parade. 

As the week came to a close, exhausted bodies and tired minds slowly trickled out into the cool of the night. While some wanted it to last forever, others already couldn’t wait for next year.