Music and laughter echoed the halls of McLean. The floors shook as students danced to the beat of the music. Homecoming, better known as Glowco this year, met and exceeded expectations, making it a memorable night for all.

Students are unaware of the time and dedication it takes to plan an event like homecoming. Students expect a seamless night of fun but are often oblivious to the amount of hard work that leadership teachers and students put in.

“We basically started in leadership class on like the first week of school practically until homecoming…about a month,”  leadership teacher Karen McNamara said. “It always feels like there is so much to do at the last minute.”

Although the weeks of planning were stressful and hectic. Efforts made by leadership committees made for an exceptional night.

“Everyone seemed excited to be there and the atmosphere was fun, which was contagious,” senior Rachel Xing said.

The new LED dance floor was flooded with crowds of students, but it encouraged more students to get up and dance.

“The actual dance floor was small so everyone was pretty packed but people were having fun for the most part,” sophomore Maya Nair said.

The energy on the dance floor led to students getting more hype and involved, but the music significantly reduced the enthusiasm. As the the energy levels started to fade, some students took matters into their own hands and started to DJ themselves.

“I loved the DJ because he let me take over and play my music, you probably heard the difference,” Nair said.

The student take-over pleased the crowd and got them on the dance floor once again. In upcoming years changes should be implemented to incorporate music that is tailored to students.

“I feel like students should be able to submit song requests beforehand to improve the music,” Xing said.

The mass of students on the dance floor led to falling and destroyed decorations. Despite the best efforts done by the decorating committee in leadership, the decorations seemed to lack this year.

“If you got [to the school] at 8 and saw [the decorations] right away they looked really cool, but the balloons started to sag really early… so depending on what time you came, it may not have lived up to what it looked like when we started,” McNamara said.

This year’s glowco ran smoothly and was a hit with students. Although decorations were sparse and the music was lacking, the overall atmosphere of the night was unforgettable.