Although freshman class officers were elected last spring at Redwood Middle School and had an earlier start than previous freshman class officers, they are still facing usual freshman troubles as they team up to tackle the Homecoming theme of “Footloose.”

Initially spreading the word about Homecoming decorations and dances proved to be difficult, as many freshmen didn’t have Facebook accounts when the theme was announced, class president Lauren Tan said.

Additionally, because Homecoming is a new concept to the freshman class, class officers have reported that participation has so far been low.

Class treasurer Emily Choi estimates that there are 25 people involved as of late August.

Because the class of 2021 is not using Facebook at the same rate as their predecessors, class officers are coming up with new ways to promote Homecoming, mainly through other forms of social media.

“We were thinking about sending out emails and also posting on Instagram and Snapchat. That’s easier because most people have Instagram and Snapchat,” Tan said.

Both Tan and Arnav Mangal, the freshman class secretary, hope that increasing participation will become easier.

Because of the current lack of participation, they are behind in their planning.

“We still have to work out the details on who is choreographing for what dance,” Mangal said.

The freshman class officers have received advice and guidance from their class adviser, ASB vice president Roland Shen, and other upperclassmen such as ASB President Nathon Chin. This, combined with focused teamwork, has made planning easier.  

Choi said that the videos from previous Homecoming quad days have also been of great help in the planning process.

In addition, the class officers have delegated specific duties to each member. The president, for example, handles communications-related work, such as talking to activities director Matt Torrens. As secretary, Mangal documents the process, and Choi, as treasurer, plans fundraisers. The class officers are also planning a movie night, following the example of other classes. Since many freshmen have not seen “Footloose,” the officers are hoping that a movie night can get freshmen more excited to participate.

“Planning it shouldn’t really be difficult after we have the movie night,” Mangal said. “I have to watch it again myself, but we’re all going to learn more about it during the movie night.”