When the 2022 homecoming theme was announced, the student body erupted. Babies cried, the earth cracked, and storm clouds pushed into an angry semi-circle around DGS. It was almost like we were in the Upside Down.

Even as someone that has seen “Stranger Things” and enjoyed it, I believe that it is unfit for a homecoming theme. Typically, successful dance themes are broad ideas rather than a specific franchise such as the themes from the last couple of years; superhero and out of this world. People felt a similar dislike in 2017 when the homecoming theme was Harry Potter.

On top of that, another reason students dislike the homecoming theme is that not everyone has seen the show. Sure they may have seen the occasional “Stranger Things” edit on Instagram (just me?) or heard a snippet of a conversation, but on the whole, for people that haven’t seen the show, it’s unfair to base the entire dance around it. When asked on the DGS Blueprint Instagram whether they had watched the show, only 65% of pollers voted they had.

Junior Abbey McGinley speaks regarding the homecoming theme.

“I think maybe an 80’s theme might have been better because not everyone has seen the show, but like I also don’t think the theme really affects the night that much,” McGinley said.

Of course, the homecoming theme hardly makes or breaks a homecoming dance. Now, students rarely refer to the theme of the dance when choosing what to wear or how to look compared to the ice age of high schools when themes actually mattered. Now themes are simply a formality; students instead opt to dress according to the theme in the week leading up to the homecoming dance on designated theme-related dress-up days.

While it isn’t that big of a deal, I am a little dejected that my senior year homecoming theme is “Stranger Things.” But I sure wouldn’t mind if Steve Harrington showed up.