NKY parent fears some won’t get true homecoming experience after dance date changed

NEWPORT, Ky. (WXIX) - A change in when Newport High School is holding its homecoming dance has one parent voicing her concern.

The school had planned to hold the dance on Saturday, Oct. 7, but now Newport High School said the dance will be on Friday, Oct. 6, which is the same night as the football game.

“My son came home very, very upset from school,” explained Angela Stachel. “He says, ‘Mom, I’m not going to homecoming.’”

Stachel’s son is a starter on the Newport Wildcats football team.

She says with the homecoming dance starting at 9 p.m. that Friday, there’s no way her son can get cleaned up and make it to the high school in time.

“I have spent a lot of money on his tailored suit,” said Stachel. “His girlfriend is getting dresses. All the kids are trying to match. It’s homecoming. It’s an experience you can’t get back.”

Newport Independent Schools Superintendent Tony Watts said there was a reason for moving the homecoming dance up by a day.

“The reason it’s on a Friday night this year is because we have fall break the following week, and we have a lot of people that have plans to travel out of town for fall break,” Superintendent Watts said. “So, again, on Saturday, that’s going to put some of those people not being able to participate.”

Stachel says the football players deserve to be at the dance and dressed their best when it starts at 9 p.m.

“They told them to wear spirit wear,” Stachel claims. “I don’t know any kid that wants to come straight from a football game, sweaty, smelling like the equipment straight to a dance.”

Newport’s football team is 4-1 on the season, but the superintendent said there is little interest from the students to go to the games.

“Last week, we took a bus to Ludlow, and we probably had 20 students go and a lot of those were middle schoolers, so most of the students will not go to the game, and they’ll choose to go to the homecoming,” said Superintendent Watts.

There is only one solution in Stachel’s eyes.

“Move it to Saturday,” she said. “How hard is it to open the building? How is the building closed? You have to unlock a door. Let these kids have a dance they deserve.”

Having the homecoming game at their stadium would help, but Newport is revamping its stadium.

The school district thought the project would be finished in time for this season, but there have been construction delays.

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