On Feb. 16, the Upper School community experienced a start to what could become a new tradition at Masters: the inaugural Homecoming dance. Traditionally, Homecoming at public schools is often centered around a football game and accompanied by a “spirit week.”However, at Masters, which does not have a football team, the Dobbs Athletic Association (DAA) has reimagined Homecoming to align with our school’s culture. While this first Homecoming took place in February, future events are intended to coincide with the end of the varsity soccer season in November, featuring an evening of dancing, surprise performances, a student-curated playlist, snacks and more.

Dressed in semiformal attire, around 70 students gathered at 8 p.m. to celebrate. The night featured student performances by KODE, the K-pop cover dance student performance group, and a joint singing performance by seniors Shaza Murigande and Sage Weinstock.

While there were some initial doubts among students about the success of the dance, the overall response from attendees was positive. Junior Christian Van Steenkiste praised the event. He said, “It’s amazing. It’s so fun. I love the food. The song selection is amazing, and I love the transitions.” Van Steenkiste also showed enthusiastic support of making Homecoming an annual event. 

Nathan Lothian ‘24, one of the DAA co-chairs, reflected on the event’s success and areas for improvement. He said, “It’s been going really good. I think we have a pretty good turnout for the first event of many to come.” Lothian acknowledged the event was a “test trial” with “some kinks to work out” but remained optimistic about the future. He said,  “I think that next year, we’re going to get a bigger turnout, people are gonna start hearing about it more.”

Skye Pearlman, another junior attendee, offered constructive feedback, suggesting improvements for future events. “If the word got out earlier, that might have helped, especially with promo and getting people here,” she said.

Pearlman also commented on the event’s timing. She said,  “Maybe instead of it being on Friday night, it could be on Saturday because people can get ready and they won’t be tired from a full day of school.”