SHINING STARS. This year’s homecoming shirt design features a glow-in-the-dark logo with stars and bokeh-inspired circles. “It’s fun to do something kind of artsy, … but still sticking with the theme,” Sofia Rivera said. Submitted by Sophia Rivera

Disco, outer space, Western, and now glow: past and current homecoming dance themes have dominated September conversation. As the biggest show of school spirit and the first dance of the year, homecoming is a special time for all.
Freshmen Margaret Bonin and Sofia Rivera played a pivotal role in their first high school homecoming by designing themed t-shirts. To get ideas, they looked to the past.

“[We went through] this big stack of homecoming t-shirts that I’ve had from all the years I’ve been at SPA and went through the fonts we liked, the layouts we liked,” Rivera said. “[We compiled] all of those to pick a font and pick a layout, which was honestly really helpful because we could just draw off what we’ve seen before.”

They started their design process in early August. Both Bonin and Rivera enjoy art and realistic drawings, but this was their first experience with graphic design. They went through various rough drafts with initial ideas based on the glow theme: a night sky, glowing animals, fireflies, and underwater-style designs.

They drew inspiration from the photographic style of bokeh, which Bonin described as “the circles of light in reflections.”

The technique is defined by Nikon as “the effect of a soft out-of-focus background,” characterized by colorful blurred spheres in the background of a photo, almost as if the viewer’s vision was blurred.

Eventually, the pair combined their ideas into their current design of light reflections and a bokeh-style background. In accordance with the theme of the dance, the t-shirts will glow in the dark.

“It’s fun to do something kind of artsy, a little bit more abstract, but still sticking with the theme,” Rivera said of their final design.
The theme, chosen last year after SAC members voted on a list of brainstormed ideas, provides ample opportunity for unique accessories.

“I’ll probably [wear] glow bracelets … [and] some glow-in-the-dark nail polish,” Rivera said.

SAC treasurer Natalie Waibel agreed. She likes this theme because of its modernity and versatility.

“You don’t necessarily have to choose an [outfit] with a specific style or specific color … [anyone] can be a part of it,” she said, citing the glow bracelets as an easy way to participate.

Though she’s served on SAC for three years, co-president Clare Kimmel admitted that she “[hasn’t] actually been to a homecoming dance before,” but hopefully, glow will be the one for her.

Homecoming week will take place the week of Oct. 2, and the Homecoming dance is the night of Oct. 7.