by Tim Baldi
Staff Writer
Approximately 350 people attended this year’s Sherlock Holmes homecoming banquet last Saturday evening. Out of those 350, 105 of the students were freshmen, 63 were sophomores, 36 were juniors and 54 were seniors. The remaining banquet attendees were visitors, including alumni and Bryan students, who did not specify their class.
“I would have hoped for more sophomores…at our class’s banquet,” said sophomore Vice President Christina Morgan. “Banquet is a place to build community and create memories, and it’s an event in a town without a lot to do. At the very least it’s a free meal.”
However for many students living in the townhouses, banquet is not a free meal.
To some, the cafeteria food is not worth the $7 admission, said senior Alaina Woodall who is living in the townhouses.
Several students in the townhouses chose to go home or hang out with friends during banquet, Woodall said. Other students attended the Bryan Lions home soccer game or the Lady Lions volleyball game at Milligan College.
Out of the 66 students living in the townhouses, 18 of them attended the banquet.
Many of the townhouse students who chose to attend the banquet had significant others to bring or were already on the meal plan, according to Woodall.
Banquets also lose their thrill for juniors and seniors who have attended several banquets in the past, she said. “A lot of the banquets are all the same.”
More freshmen and sophomores attend banquet because it is still a new experience, according to Morgan.
The past four banquets have been Sherlock Holmes, A Night on the Riviera, Black Tie-White Christmas and The Great Gatsby.
They tend to follow a particular pattern, according to junior Lydia Steele, who was nominated for homecoming court. Banquets are nice but “no one has gone out on a limb” for a while, she added.
The decision to attend or miss banquets depends a lot on what friends are doing, according to Steele.
Steele attended the men’s varsity soccer game against Truett-McConnell College instead of the banquet. She and the three other junior homecoming nominees were absent from Saturday’s banquet.
“The events we go to and don’t go to say something about our values,” said Steele. “Even though the junior class cares for the school, they care less about official school events.”