Students organizing the homecoming dance at South Portland High School this weekend said their goal is to make the best of the situation and to provide an event that is both fun and positive for all involved.

Homecoming is one of only two dances that will be allowed this academic year. Administrators announced last month that they were unable to provide a sufficiently safe and chemical-free atmosphere at school-sponsored dances and canceled all dances except for homecoming and prom.

“(We just want to) promote excitement for this dance and want to bring our school together for a night of fun,” Owen Doane, president of both the senior class and the student senate, said this week.

“I just want to reiterate that we are 100 percent going to make the best of this situation. There are no hard feelings whatsoever for the administration because we understand their reasoning behind this decision,” Doane added.

He said that students “weren’t so much disappointed, as we were surprised that the administration made the decision over the summer (to cancel all but two dances) without seeking input from the student senate.”

“For the senior class officers, our main concern was for the current sophomore and junior classes who now don’t have a dance, (which) is their main source of fundraising,” Doane said. “We are working with the administration to come up with new ideas to raise the same amount of money that these dances brought in, and which can hopefully give rise to new traditions.”

Doane said that with homecoming being one of only two school dances this academic year, there is added pressure to make it successful. However, he said, “Our hope is that this will result in a large turnout and (be) a dance where everyone can just have a good time.”

He’s also not concerned that there will be a continuation of the behavior that caused the administration to cancel the dances in the first place.

“I’m not really concerned about (inappropriate) behavior because I think the student body is aware of the new expectations and knowing this is the only dance for all grades, I think people are going to act responsibly,” he said.

What’s also unusual about the homecoming dance this year is that it’s being held the week after all the usual homecoming activities, including spirit week, during which the classes compete against each other in a variety of fun events.

Ryan Caron, the principal at South Portland High School, said the date for the homecoming dance was changed to Oct. 15 after he heard from a number of students that their families were traveling during Columbus Day weekend.

“We wanted to give the greatest number of students the opportunity to attend the dance as possible (and) students were concerned that with no school on Friday and the holiday on Monday, the attendance would be down,” he said.

In addition, he said, school administrators were also “a bit concerned about getting enough staff to chaperone on the long weekend, as well. We spoke with the senior class officers and they thought that moving the dance made sense as long as students traveling for school events could get back in time to attend.”

Caron said that while the date for the homecoming dance itself was moved, “we decided to keep spirit week and the pep rally during (the week of Oct. 3-7) because it contained the most home (sporting) events.”

He also noted that South Portland had previously held homecoming activities, including the annual pep rally, and the dance on different weekends.

“Homecoming is usually the best attended of our dances,” he said. “In recent years we have had between 350 and 450 students at the homecoming dance. I would expect 400 to 500 students to attend this year.”

The administration at South Portland High also created a new student contract for the two remaining dances, which outlines the expectations for behavior, requires students to provide a phone number where their parents can be reached and recommends that students wear semi-formal attire.

Caron said in years past students have been asked to read the rules and expectations regarding their behavior at school dances, but this year they are being asked to sign a pledge to follow the rules before being able to purchase tickets.

“Our priority is that the homecoming dance is a safe event for all in attendance,” the introduction to the student pledge states.

Under the pledge, students agree to arrive and to remain substance-free throughout the course of the dance, to arrive no later than 8 p.m. unless they have special permission to arrive later, and to understand that their parents will be contacted by school officials if they leave the dance before 9 p.m.

In addition, the pledge states that the belongings of all dance attendees are subject to searches. Students are urged to “behave in a way that shows respect for oneself, other students/guests and chaperones at all times.”

Dick Matthews, chairman of the South Portland Board of Education, said that the decision to cancel the dances had nothing to do with the board.

He said that while most board members disagreed with the measure, “we do respect the decision and support the administration.”

However, Matthews said, he believed that canceling the dances was not absolutely necessary and that “other steps could have been taken first.” He also worries that “kids who are doing nothing wrong are being punished” by the decision.

On the other hand, he also acknowledged that “times have changed so much. When I was a kid, my mom always knew where I was and what I was doing.”

Matthews also mourned the passing of many homecoming traditions.

“It used to be so different. It was a big weekend in town with a parade, a Saturday football game and then the dance,” he said.

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