The Price of the Party

By Amie Ahn Nov. 12, 2025

Eleanor Wang Art

Beneath illuminated jellyfish decor glowing in dreamy hues of blue and green, students stream into the cafeteria, greeted by pounding music and excited cheers. Outside, cameras flash as friends crowd together and pose at photobooths, while others sip on Mermaid Fizz drinks and bite into Krabby Patty sliders. This scene brings to life a Homecoming under the sea—but of course, with a price. 

Homecoming, a classic high school event that takes place every year, is not only a central event for the school’s student culture and spirit, but also a significant opportunity for ASB to raise money as the only major fundraiser event of the school year. Meg Walsh, Activities Director and ASB Advisor, states that this event brings an average of 900 students and raises about $25,000 annually. Each year, ASB spends thousands on building community spirit—handing out free class T-shirts, hosting rallies, Wellness Week—and the homecoming dance is a major reason to make such accustomed activities possible. 

“Unlike Prom—another prominent annual school dance—where ticket revenues are only used to cover next year’s Prom and fund its own event, Homecoming is used as a fundraiser to raise money for the ASB to serve the school throughout the school year,” Walsh said. 

Compared to the past two years, Homecoming prices this year went up by $10, selling the first week at $35 for those with VIP cards, $40 for those without and $45 for guests. According to Walsh, a large portion of the price increase goes towards the processing fees, a $9000 cost that had been covered by the ASB budget in past years. The fees have been added to most student transactions this year to help ASB direct their funds towards other activities that more directly impact the student body. 

“ASB aimed to make this year’s Homecoming an immersive experience, so we prepared games and decorations that would make one feel as if they were really ‘under the sea.’ We took feedback from students, many of whom said they were bored at previous Homecomings, so we made activities a priority,” Sophomore and ASB member Amber Tapucu said.  

The additional ticket profits also covered the food and drink prices that had been paid separately by students in past years. There were free sliders and a variety of under-the-sea-themed mocktails, with creative names like Shark Attack and Coconut Cove. New activities were also made possible, like inflatable games on the lawn.  

“The price increase seems justified because we had much better food and drink compared to last year; I particularly enjoyed the burger slider and the Swimming Fishes drink which had Swedish Fish inside—delicious and fitting. However, having more entertainment such as cards and board games would have made the experience stand out more,” Junior Ian Gao said.  

Homecoming has developed into a much larger-scale event than what it once was, where in 2013 an average of 400 students attended the school’s Homecoming with no side activities. In addition to inflation, the increase in Homecoming prices over recent years can be explained by the increase in amount and scale of events the school holds for students, according to Walsh.  

The school also offered special coupling tickets up until 2019 where a student and their date could purchase a single ticket for two. However, changing student culture over time have made coupling tickets less relevant, as more students prefer to enjoy the event with their friends.  

Homecoming being the sole major fundraiser for school funds and the burden of processing fees, as well as external factors like inflation, essentially explain the rise in Homecoming ticket prices this year. While ticket costs will always ebb and flow each year, many students will also always be eager for a special Homecoming experience.

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About the Contributors

Amie Ahn

Community News and Feature World Editor 

Amie Ahn is a junior at Leland High School and a page editor for The Charger Account. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with friends, binging kdramas, and dancing.

Eleanor Wang

Artist

Eleanor Wang is a Junior at Leland High School and is an artist for The Charger Account. When not working on school work or studying for a test, you can often find her playing video games, singing, or going out with friends.