Out of the two formal events MTHS has to offer throughout the school year like Homecoming and Snowball, it is clear that Homecoming is the most attended event. With a total attendance of 1,400 people during the 2024-2025 school year compared to Snowball’s 400, it seems as though Homecoming is the most popular, a persistent trend throughout the years. Why is that?

First of all, what’s the main difference between Homecoming and Snowball at MT? For one, Homecoming is hosted in the fall and done through student council with Mr. Kranch as the adviser, whereas Snowball is hosted in February by Mini-THON with Mr. Robbins and Mrs. Boal. The advisers work closely with the student heads of these groups to produce dances that fit the chosen theme of the year.

Snowball may be less popular than Homecoming simply because of how it has been marketed. As it was once called the Sadie Hawkins Dance, it implied it catered towards couples. The idea is cute and fitting for February in general, but for those who do not have a partner that they can attend the dance with, it could almost seem meaningless, even when going with friends. Since Homecoming is seen as an entire student body event, it feels more acceptable to attend with friends or a partner as opposed to just a partner.

Despite Snowball being suggested for couples, that is obviously not required. Like Homecoming, you can still go with just friends and have a good time. Moreover, it comes down to how you choose to spend your time during and after the dance. With that, I don’t think that a significant increase in Snowball attendees will happen, but it is interesting to see the comparison between the two very similar events.

However, I would also like to mention that I do prefer the themes of Snowball as opposed to Homecoming. “Under the Lights” and “Masquerade” were themes that I thought were more creative, as opposed to Homecoming’s “Neon” or “Hollywood,” because the themes are a factor that would motivate me to attend. Although I can’t see myself attending Snowball every year unlike Homecoming, I definitely find the Snowball to be a great event to attend at least once during your four years of high school for the memories.