De Soto High School will be having its annual winter dance on Feb. 9. In the past, the dance has been called WPA, but as of this year it will be labeled as Winter Homecoming or “WOCO.” This year’s Winter Homecoming dance is galaxy-themed.

As in years prior, spirit week will take place the week leading up to the dance. According to Student Council president and senior Caroline Whipple, this year’s WOCO spirit week includes “sleep under the stars” pajama day, “sun is too bright” sunglasses day, “out of this world” wacky Wednesday, “galaxy Thursday,” where students wear different colors based on what is assigned to each class and Friday will be DHS spirit.

Other than the name change, the dance will include a few more new things such as a DJ and a decorated Student Union for dance attendees to hang out in.

“The DJ will make the music at the dance more thought out,” Whipple said. “They will be able to read the crowd and play what is making them happy, something we couldn’t achieve with a playlist.”

The union will be decorated with the theme of the dance and include drinks and snacks for students to enjoy. It will also have games as well as a photo booth for students to entertain when they aren’t dancing in the aux gym.

“I think it will be good to separate the hangout place and the dancing place,” junior STUCO member and pep executive Chase Culver said. “It will be nice to have the food and seating in a place that is well-lit and not as noisy.”

Integral to WOCO week activities are the royalty candidates. There are eight seniors who are on the court for Winter Homecoming. The senior girls’ candidates are Caroline Whipple, Olivia Mills, Shantel Horne and Linnea Searls. The senior boys’ candidates are Tyler Barkemeyer, Daniel Smith, Joseph Schnieders and Grant Noll. The winner of WOCO king and queen will be announced at the home basketball game on Feb. 8, the night before the dance. The winners will be crowned at the actual dance.

The dress code of the dance is semi-formal and tickets are on sale the week of Feb. 4 and can be purchased at lunch for $8 each or $12 for a couple.