BACK-TO-SCHOOL DANCE THEME SPARKS CONTROVERSY
The theme of “Penchella” for the recent back-to-school dance has been heavily debated among students and teachers. With most applauding the decorations and creativity of the theme, a handful of others thought the theme was inappropriate due to the alcohol and drug use, cultural appropriation scandals and skimpy outfits commonly associated with Coachella. Coachella is an annual music festival held in Indio, CA that attracts thousands of people who come to listen to live performances by famous artists. While it is reasonable that a few students and teachers were concerned about the theme, Peninsula’s dance dress code and the presence of chaperones prevented any type of inappropriate misconduct during the dance.
Associated Student Body (ASB) members chose this theme because it had never been done before by the school and it allowed plenty of room for creativity as far as decorations and outfits goes. They did take into consideration the backlash that could ensue due to the possibility of students wearing skimpy outfits or trying to bring illegal substances into the gym, but decided this would not be an issue due to the dress code that would be applied and the strict supervision at the dance. The efforts that went into making Sept. 7 an enjoyable time for everyone who attended should be the primary focus, not the possible controversies that could have spoiled the theme.
“I liked how [Peninsula] recreated Coachella at a local scale,” junior Michael Takami said. “People seemed to be very mindful when it came to outfits and everything.”
Many students who attended the dance were in favor of the theme, but agreed that the idea of “Coachella” outfits clashed with the dress code which prohibits any see-through or revealing attire. Another factor that worried staff and students was the evident drug and alcohol use at Coachella. The school prohibits these substances at all times and takes further preventative measures to prevent students from sneaking in any drugs or alcohol during a dance by having chaperones throughout the night. Students have to be checked for any illegal substances before entering the gym which makes it difficult to bring anything in. That, in addition to the supervision of teachers and security, makes the possibility of bringing any substance into the dance even more slim.
According to Insider, in years past, Coachella has had incidents where celebrities wore kimonos, hijabs and Bindis, so it is understandable why staff and students speculated whether or not this theme would foster cultural appropriation. Fortunately, this proved not to be a predicament at the dance seeing as there were clear rules as to what was suitable to wear. Students are very conscious of how their appearance influences the way they are viewed by their peers. This attentiveness towards appearance alone would have pushed students away further from the idea of wearing anything that could have dubbed them as being offensive or disrespectful.
“I thought the theme was really clever, but it was a little difficult to dress for [in order to] keep in line with the dress code,” junior Shivani Jain said. “I saw a lot of girls who wore pretty revealing things.”
Since Coachella is such a popular spring event, the “Penchella” theme provided a fresh and inventive atmosphere by replicating bits and pieces of the famed music festival. ASB was especially proud of the outcome of the Penchella dance.
“The theme was really cool because it was sort of like a [Peninsula] did it first kind of thing,” junior class president Sabrina Tang said. “It was fun but it was not [childish]. It showed that ‘okay, we are in high school now’. We can have fun with what we wear and how we wear it.”
