There was a hopeful attitude for this year’s Sadie Hawkins dance, the famous couple theme was put in place to excite students about dressing up. Sadie Hawkins, or TOLO, has never been quite as popular as Homecoming, but this year the difference in ticket sales was astounding. Homecoming brought in an estimate of one thousand ticket sales, similar to previous years. Sadie Hawkins, however, sold just 229 tickets.

“No one in my group wanted to go because the tickets are expensive and it seemed like a waste,” Lauren Petri said. Petri’s group went to Seattle for dinner instead of going to the dance. Although ticket prices were the same for Homecoming, Sadie Hawkins traditionally has a lower attendance rate, leaving kids cautious about buying tickets and spending their time at the dance.

“Well, no one ever goes to the actual dance, and no one in my group wanted to do the theme. We just dressed formal and didn’t go to the dance,” Sydney Allman said. It seems like adding a costume theme to the event is bringing about the opposite effect, turning students away instead of inviting them in.

Ms. Myers is in charge of the dance.  “I would love to find a way for more people to be involved,” she said. Although few came, those that did looked like they had fun, Ms. Myers said. The cause of the decline in TOLO ticket sales is unknown, but it seems like the themes are only bringing the numbers in a negative direction.