Argo Community High School’s 2024 Homecoming sparked controversy weeks before the night began. The homecoming’s theme of “Casino Night” was seemingly a problematic one for the community as it upset and excluded groups of students because of the negative connotations it held.
As this year’s homecoming was one that was meant to connect the student body by being driven by students’ and their wants, the theme seemed to raise questions about Argo’s values instead.
“Homecoming is decided by student council. They come up with 4/5 different themes and send them to me and I approve whether they can run them or not,” said Nicole Wasko, assistant principle of student engagement and community experiences. “I try to support whatever student council comes to me with because it is student driven,” Wasko said.
The majority of ACHS voted for the “Casino Night” theme from a variety of others. But some students questioned the justification of allowing that theme to run.
“It’s pretty inappropriate because the school is promoting gambling in a way. That’s what you do at a casino, and it’s a problem,” said sophomore, Noah Alzoubi.
The bad reputation and religious restrictions associated with casinos is why many students couldn’t attend. Students felt as though it was unfair to allow this separation.
“The ‘Casino Night’ theme was too mature for high school students. A lot of my friends couldn’t attend because their religion didn’t allow it, and I felt bad to see them miss it,” said homecoming attendee, Luke Glod.
Although the theme was based on casinos, homecoming itself strayed far away from true casino entertainment. There was no gambling, drinking, or illegal activity occurring at the dance.
“Casino night is a pretty common theme with all the surrounding schools,” said Wasko.
After doing research on different schools and how they approached the theme, Wasko felt comfortable approving of it as it was mainly tied to what décor would be used.
Many students didn’t see the dance from that perspective, however, and were still upset about the lack of inclusivity.
“If I could change the theme I probably would so that it could be more inclusive to the whole community,” said Glod.
Although Argo’s Homecoming was one that was filled with new memories and fun, it quickly became a controversial subject as not everyone was included in those memories and enjoyment.
“My email and door are always open for any student that wants to come to talk to me about anything and listen to their concerns to try to find a solution or a compromise,” said Wasko.
