The time around Homecoming is the most fervent of school pride all year. As it should be! It’s so easy to love North Hills as you watch representatives from every club and sport proudly strutting across the turf. Our football team playing across the field as streaks of red and white against the opponents is exciting enough to make you cheer as loudly as you can. WE ARE NORTH HILLS!

But, occasionally, you meet a person from outside the confines of North Hills and want to share the experience of the Homecoming dance with him or her. It’s exciting! You haven’t ever had a class with this person, and they’re a completely new addition to your friend group. But whether your fellow North Hills peers are open to an inter-school guest is another issue.

As of mid-September, North Hills Students polled 50% in favor of taking a date from another high school and 50% against it. So the school is directly split! Overwhelming school pride can easily spur students to fend off possible additions from other schools, and it seems that more students than expected are against the idea of dates from other schools joining the party. However, less than 50% of the student body is dating someone from another school, so there is support of inter-school Homecoming dates from people other than those actually dating outside of North Hills. A majority of people in relationships who attend North Hills are dating a fellow member of the North Hills student body, but certain social butterflies reach out and meet partners who live outside the Ross Township lines. So often our romantic partners come to us unexpectedly, and meeting a person you have never had class with or seen on the bus is exciting and thrilling. Taking a date from another school to Homecoming has every right to be encouraged, as dating within the same group of people can cause drama and animosity to fester under the sleek veneer of a fancy dress and new heels. There is often more drama around dances and “who is taking who” than first meets the eye, and an unknown person, whether they be from Pine Richland, Shaler, or North Catholic, avoids the rivalries teenagers have when a friend goes to the dance with your ex, or your date ends up liking your best friend. 

Regardless, still riding high on the excitement from the night before, the student body pours into the middle school gymnasium for the Homecoming Dance. No, your date most likely doesn’t have North Hills pride- and why would he or she? Don’t expect your date to be as excited about the football team’s victory the previous night, but still try to make your special addition feel included in the excitement. They have chosen to spend their night with you, so make sure they have the good time they came for!

There’s definitely been some trash talk on North Hills students taking dates from other schools, but if you get along well with someone from another school, it’s always beneficial to introduce them to the people you see five days a week. If someone else is enthusiastic about joining the North Hills party, why not? Homecoming is a time to celebrate North Hills and the year to come, so let’s prove that we are welcoming to all so we can be proud to yell from the hilltops that “WE ARE NORTH HILLS!”