As the first formal dance of the year, homecoming has a lot to live up to. With an entire week dedicated to its theme, you would think you could bring anyone you wanted to on your special night, only you can’t.

Monte Vista is one of the only high schools still strictly enforcing the rule of only allowing students from its school to enjoy a night of fun in the schools gym. Schools like San Ramon and Cal High have adapted to the ways of modern time and have been allowed to bring whomever they choose for quite some years now.

Senior Sophie Bahmani and boyfriend J.T., who attends De La Salle, have been dating for over a year now. After going to De La Salle homecoming the previous year, Bahmani is forced to go to her own homecoming with friends alone.

“I wish we could go together,” Bahmani said, “It sucks I can’t experience our homecoming with him.”

Bahmani is not alone. Senior Mattie Gebhart also wants to see a change in this policy.

“I usually go to homecoming with my friends or I just don’t go at all,” Gebhart said. “If the school allowed us to take students from other schools I would definitely be more excited.”

By continuing this strict policy, Monte Vista is turning away students who would love to go to homecoming as long as they could bring their friend or loved one from a different school along. With more couples going to homecoming, the school could be raising more money with ticket sales.

However, money isn’t the problem. Administrator Mr. Peterson revealed that Monte Vista is not prejudice towards other schools, there just simply is not enough room in the gym to fit students from Monte Vista as well as students from other high schools.

Monte Vista allows for students to bring students from other schools during Junior Prom and Senior Ball, so why not homecoming? For freshmen and sophomores, homecoming is the only formal dance they can attend without an invitation from an upperclassman all year. If juniors and seniors can experience their formal dances with whomever they choose, freshman and sophomores should be allowed the same opportunity.