By Nancy Azzam & Emma Kavcioglu

During the homecoming football game, the Highlanders completed their seventh consecutive win against El Camino Real High School, setting a victorious atmosphere for Granada Hills Charter’s (GHC) 2023 Homecoming dance on October 21.

GHC reigned victorious at its homecoming game, beating El Camino Real with a final score of 30 to 2.

“Winning feels great,” junior Daniel Battaglia said. “We came off a big win against Taft and it was nice to keep the streak going. It was a great game for the players and the fans alike.”
The game’s theme was Homecoming Rodeo, where people came dressed in Western attire, including flannel shirts, cowboy hats, and boots. The game certainly felt like a Wild West Showdown where GHC emerged as the winner.

Homecoming Rodeo was the last day of a very festive spirit week including themes such as “Gone Fishin’” where students and teachers arrived with their cargo shorts and fishing rods in hand, “Barbie VS Mattel” with many rocking pink or their suits and ties, “Color Wars” where students wore their class colors, and “Beach Vacay VS Chill Day” having many come in flip flops and Hawaiian shirts or puffer jackets and scarves.

The following evening, the festivities continued as students entered La La Land and enjoyed the LA-inspired ambiance that imbued the school for the night.

The Associated Student Body (ASB) started check-in for the dance at 6:00 p.m., significantly reducing wait times from the year prior. Students arrived, were searched by security, and then promptly made their way into the city of stars.

Another change from last year was that students were never given physical tickets in order to enter the dance. All that was necessary was the student’s ID.

GHC was decorated with lamp posts, LA city backdrops, Old Hollywood silhouettes, La La Land posters as centerpieces, and blue lighting. ASB made large strides in including the homecoming theme in the decorations and making students feel like they were actually in the movie.

The Homecoming dance featured karaoke, video games, photo booths, air hockey, and other arcade games that could keep students entertained when not dancing.

ASB crowned seniors Makyla Cervantes and Jordan Coleman the 2023 homecoming queen and king.

The most lively part of Homecoming was the dance floor. The stage was positioned to allow for more room which worked especially well with the large number of students present. There were almost 2,000 students in attendance. Popular hits included “Meltdown” (Travis Scott), “California Girls” (Katy Perry), and “Snooze” (SZA).

“This dance had some of the best vibes I’ve ever had,” DJ and GHC alum Gerrad O’Brien said. “It was such a blessed opportunity to be able to curate and be a part of this dance. That crowd last year was great, but this crowd blew it out of the water.”