HOMECOMING with a twist. Olio in Peabody was the venue of this year’s Homecoming semiformal open to all NRHS students. Blackjack, poker and old style arcade games were offered in addition to dancing, food and a photo station. (Michael Foley Photo)
By EVA HANEGRAAFF
NORTH READING — Homecoming 2024 did not disappoint, as students across all grades were able to come together to experience all the activities and entertainment put together by Student Council for this event.
On November 15, students drove to Olio in Peabody in their best semi-formal dresses and suits in order to partake in the full New York experience. There was dancing, blackjack and poker tables, old style arcade games, a photo station, and food, making it truly a night for everyone.
Another layer to this event was found in the competition aspect of all the games. For the arcade games, the competition was based on high score. The individual who had the highest score in any individual arcade game at the end of the dance was awarded a mysterious prize that was kept secret until the end of the night.
The games were Donkey Kong, Galaga, and Pacman. At the end of the night, right before the last song, it was announced that Ben Cooper won Donkey Kong receiving a magnetic dart board, Dylan O’Driscoll won Galaga, receiving an over-the-door basketball hoop, and Quin Horton won Pacman, receiving LED lights.
The gambling winner was decided using a system that was a little more complex. Everyone who wanted to play cards was given $100 worth of casino chips, with each color representing an equivalent amount to what is used at a real casino, except that the black tokens stood for $10 instead of the usual $100. Players could play with their chips at any point during the night and could “cash them in” at any point. This was a way that students could participate in other activities and come back to the card tables. It also enabled their chips to be counted and documented throughout the night. The winner was determined by who had “cashed in” the most money by the end of the night.
The winner, Jackson Wesley, received waterproof cards and candy. There was also a door prize raffle for Patriots tickets. All students were automatically entered into the raffle when they bought their homecoming tickets. The winner was Violeta Rossetti.
This dance attracted a significantly larger crowd than has been seen at homecoming and semi-formal dances in the past. “I liked how there was something for everyone to do,” senior Paige Helfrich explained. “If you’re not extraverted, you could play video games or you could just go and chill at the poker table.”
However, the options were not the only thing that drew North Reading students to this dance. Helfrich said, “Eighty percent of the people I talked to would not have gone if it was not at a venue.” The venue was a major change from what NRHS students are used to when it comes to dances other than prom. While being a bit of a drive, Olio allowed for students to spread out to different activities and try a bit of everything, as well as gain new experiences and raise school spirit outside of school. All in all, homecoming this year was a major success for the high school and has set a high standard for future semi-formal dances at the high school.
NRHS senior Eva Hanegraaff is a student intern at the Transcript for the 2024-25 school year. She wants to use her internship to learn about the field of journalism and bring a high school voice to the Transcript. To inquire about article ideas or news tips, contact Hanegraaff at evahanegraaff@gmail.com.
