On the evening of Sept. 6, West Ranch students dressed up for Homecoming at the Hyatt Regency Valencia. This year’s Homecoming theme was “Mamma Mia!” based on the well-known musical comedy film starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Amanda Seyfried.
At the dance, students were given a chance to express their distinct styles, arriving in various dresses, suits, dress pants and more. The Paw Print checked in with some attendees who were present for 2024’s Homecoming.
Kate Yi, 12th grade
West Ranch senior Kate Yi showed up to the dance in an outfit inspi
red by this year’s theme. Her outfit included a sparkly light green dress from Windsor and a pair of white Converse. Yi also curled her hair and did a bold makeup look to go with the outfit.
Yi, describing why she chose her dress, said, “I chose to wear a light green dress because I knew that most people were going to wear light blue.”
Since the theme was “Mamma Mia!,” Yi explained how her outfit related to the theme; she said that “Mamma Mia!” is a musical with a lot of light spring colors, so I chose a dress that was more cute than elegant.”
“I really liked getting ready and dressing up right before Homecoming,” Yi expressed, “my dress was extremely sparkly and complex, so it stood out in the bright lights at Homecoming.”
Florencia Avalos Lujan, 11th grade
Florencia Avalos Lujan, a junior at West Ranch, planned to lay his love out on the dance floor with a comfortable outfit. Avalos Lujan arrived at Homecoming in a thrifted black button-up, white pants borrowed from his father and a pair of Adidas Campus.
“I wanted something that I feel like myself in and something that I would be comfortable in because I know if I was gonna wear something formal, I would be self-conscious and not feel like myself,” Avalos Lujan said.
Influenced by “Mamma Mia!,” Avalos Lujan described how he incorporated the theme into his outfit: “The white pants were still inspired by the theme.” Additionally, he shared “I wouldn’t have worn white pants without the theme.”
Amelia Jakovich, 11th grade
West Ranch junior Amelia Jakovich danced the night away in an outfit that she had to put together at the last minute. Her outfit from Windsor consisted of a cream-colored flowy dress with a pai
r of heels of the same color.
“I actually bought a dress a month before Homecoming, but it didn’t end up fitting so I bought the actual dress that I wore in-person the weekend before Homecoming and liked the new dress a lot better,” Jakovich explained.
Even though the theme for this year’s Homecoming was “Mamma Mia!,” Jakovich decided to choose an outfit solely on her personal taste. “I didn’t really keep in mind the theme, but I thought it was creative,” she added, “I chose my dress because it stood out to me. I thought it was really pretty and fit well on me.”
Although her outfit did not go as originally planned, Jakovich enjoyed the process of putting her outfit together for the special night: “I love the whole process of planning and getting ready for Homecoming. I really enjoy shopping and trying out the different options for my dress.”
Eva Lee, 10th grade
West Ranch sophomore Eva Lee spent the night in an outfit that stood out from the theme. She wore a sparkly dark green dress from Windsor with a pair of Nike Air Force 1s and her outfit was all pulled together with silver jewelry and simple makeup.
She explained, “since the theme was ‘Mamma Mia!’ everyone was wearing very light colors but I chose to wear a dark green sparkly dress because it made me seem more like me rather than trying to fit in with everyone else.”
Preparing for Homecoming included planning her outfit a week in advance but also getting ready the day of the dance. “Me and my friends all got ready at the same house and we had so much fun reacting to each other’s dresses for the first time,” Lee recalled.
Although the dance was filled with dancing, singing and having fun, Lee shared “My favorite part of shopping for Homecoming was being able to spend time with my mom, and as for prepping, me and my friends all got ready at the same house and we had so much fun reacting to each other’s dresses for the first time.
This year’s Homecoming saw many different outfits, even if it was not the typical tie and button-up or dress and heels. Wildcats had the chance to dress up, express themselves through fashion and have fun with their outfits in ways that they could not do on normal school days or activities.
