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This past week, Corona del Mar’s High School ASB released information about this year’s Battle of the Bay Dance. Scheduled for October 14, 2023, CdM’s Homecoming Dance is the prime time for students to flaunt their school spirit for the upcoming BOTB Game. With Bowers Museum hosting the dance yet again, a throwback to 2021, the location evokes nostalgia for current juniors and seniors from their freshman or sophomore year.
Senior Faith Chavez, a member of CdM ASB’s Activities Committee, explains ASB’s aspirations and goals for this year’s BOTB dance. “[This is] the first big event, and you want to get kids excited for what’s to come,” Chavez voices. “The goals for homecoming are always pretty similar in that we want to create a lot of excitement.” Chavez expresses the importance of this dance to freshmen at CdM. “We want to bring in the new freshmen and make [them] feel welcome and excited. It’s the first dance of their high school [experience], so making sure they have a good time [is necessary].” Chavez emphasizes the significance of the Homecoming Dance in “keep[ing] the CdM spirit alive [throughout] the year.”
As a senior and fellow ASB Activities Committee member, Kendall Cushey reflects upon her past Homecoming dances and provides further insight on CdM’s repeated choice of Bowers Museum as the venue. “We used [Bowers Museum] for [my] sophomore year Homecoming [in 2021], and that was a good setting…because [of the] casino tables on the inside,” she says. She offers more details as to what CdM students can expect from this year’s venue. “[I]t is partially inside and outside,” Cushey explains. “[There’s] going to be more dancing outside, and another place inside where you can play on the casino tables. It’s a good separation.”
Cushey’s fondness of Bowers Museum’s setting is synonymous with Junior Maryann Withrow’s positive memories from her freshman year Homecoming. “The location was good,” she says. “It was easy for everyone to go around and find each other.” Between her first Homecoming dance in 2021 and last year’s at AV Irvine, Withrow “definitely liked the…2021 [dance] better.” While she “think[s] that they both had really nice themes, [the setting at Bowers Museum] was more appealing to the eye.”
Sean Zaremba, the Special Events Coordinator at Bowers Museum, reiterates the popularity of the museum as a high school dance location. “We’ve so far done about ten proms [and] winter formals since January,” he says. “I have another ten scheduled for next year, and I have six more in the process of being booked.” These numbers are quite high, suggesting that CdM’s preference for Bowers Museum is not unique. Zaremba explains the appeal: “I would say that a big deciding factor in booking with Bowers is that the entire museum is generally rented which provides a large space, indoor and outdoor, for the students to roam.” Withrow lists “a really good DJ and more activities” as her hopes for this year’s dance. Luckily for Withrow, Bowers Museum delivers exactly that. “They typically have a stage set up outside with a DJ and casino tables indoors,” Zaremba says.
All in all, this year’s Homecoming dance is going to be filled with a casino style theme. The tickets for the dance are listed at $70 with the ASB card and $80 without until Saturday, September 30. Do not worry, procrastinators, tickets can still be purchased for $80 with the ASB card and $90 without starting October first. Join CdM BOTB ticket-holders as they await the 2023 Homecoming Dance.
