With homecoming night right around the corner and spirit week well underway, the atmosphere of everything “homecoming” has been surrounding Niles West. With homecoming this Saturday, there are a few crucial tips anyone attending the dance will NEED to know.

1. Take your heels off.

With this being my third year attending homecoming, I know that the most important tip for any girl attending the dance is to take your heels off! Why wander around the dance floor with 3-inch heels on, killing your feet with the blisters, and being a walking, talking, caution sign for everyone within a 5-foot radius of you? This tip is crucial for anyone who wants to avoid having their feet destroyed, or destroying the feet of the people around you.

2. Prepare to be uncomfortably close — with everyone.

As many people know, homecoming in a nutshell is a tightly-packed sauna, with incredibly high humidity levels. For any girl planning to straighten their hair, prepare for some frizz by the end of the night. As the night goes on, prepare to get closer and closer to random people you don’t know, with a 99 percent chance of getting their sweat all over you.

3. Don’t plan on staying with the same friends the whole night — you will lose one another.

Being surrounded by 500+ people all night makes it really hard to pay attention to where your friends are at all times. Be prepared to just relax and not worry too much about if your friends are nearby, because you will definitely lose each other more than five times in the first hour.

4. Drink lots and lots of water!

As I mentioned before, the gym gets unbelievably hot as the dance goes on, so in order to make sure you’re having the best homecoming experience, remember to drink lots of water frequently throughout the night to avoid a heat stroke.

5. Have fun!

At the end of the day, homecoming is an important high school milestone. Don’t spend too much time worrying about where your friends are or stressing over a date. Spend homecoming having a fun and memorable night in a great atmosphere, with more than a few instances of discomfort, sweatiness, and feet-bruising fun throughout the night.