Colette Moffroid | A&E Editor
September 20, 2024
The weeks of stress and planning leading up to the Homecoming dance finally pay off when your car rolls into the beautiful vista that is Pines Park. What may seem like a photo-opt staple has only really come into effect since the invention of digital photos. Taking pictures at Pines Park is a time where, for once, everyone is in the same place at the same time. Resulting in an overpopulation of a small area and its surrounding streets, but nonetheless thousands of memorable pictures.
San Clemente High School alumnus of the 90s, Dallas B., stated that they “did not go to Pines Park [they] just took the pictures in their front yards.” Before the use of digital cameras and iPhones, it was difficult for people to obtain such a large quantity of pictures for one single event. As a result, there was less commotion around solely taking pictures for social media.
Going back another generation, Mr. Wilson, a beloved biology teacher and former Triton himself, shares that there were “no pictures at Pines Park, and that some students would meet up before the dance for a few quick pics before the main event.” The current generation centers their dances and most other events around pictures. However, going back just 25 years brings us to a time when Instagram and digital photo albums were not even in the discussion of the evening.
Going through three generations of Homecoming photography provides the larger picture that Pines Park pictures have only been a part of the San Clemente High School dance tradition for 10 to 15 years. Previously students focused more on the actual dance rather than the pictures taken before it. However, since photos have become a tradition it is a huge part of student life and is a major element in the community for many weeks leading up to the weekend of Homecoming.
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