An online ticket platform caused delays Oct. 12 as homecoming attendees checked into the dance. Most waited in a line outside the school for about 30 minutes.
The platform, called Omella, emailed students a QR code after they bought their ticket and allowed teachers to scan them at the door. By diverting from their typical sticker policy, Student Council hoped to speed up check-in and make sales easier, according to senior Xavier Wilson, a StuCo officer.
But the platform gave many students only partial QR codes or ones that couldn’t be verified, per StuCo sponsor Jill Gibson. The Wi-Fi was unstable, which caused issues for teachers scanning codes with their phones.
An hour into the event, senior StuCo officer Josie Rutledge said the gym was nearly empty. She arrived 30 minutes early to set up decorations and was “incredibly concerned” when she didn’t see the usual rush of students arriving shortly after her.
“I found out that it was a QR code issue when I got a text from a friend saying she’d been in line for almost an hour,” Rutledge said. “I went to see [Mrs.] Gibson to talk about it, and when I went into the lobby, it was insanely crowded and people were shouting things to do.”
Throughout the evening, Interim Principal Alex Fox chatted with students waiting in line. He emailed parents around 8 p.m. to apologize for the delay and eventually extended the dance past its 9:30 p.m. end-time.
“I think the kids handled it great,” Fox said. “Once I noticed those delays, I went out, talked to the students, [and] let them know what was going on.”
The decision to try online tickets came from Mrs. Gibson and her fellow sponsor, Tricia Gray. When the platform began to glitch, Mrs. Gibson said she jumped in to help in any way she could.
“I got a laptop so I could check in people who never got the email,” Mrs. Gibson said. “That was another thing – a lot of kids never got the email because they gave us the wrong email address.”
Mrs. Gibson said she and Mrs. Gray plan to improve upon this year’s experience by stationing more teachers at the check-in point next fall. They’ve also considered bringing stickers back.
Omella created issues throughout the entire sales process, per Rutledge. She said that when StuCo registered students in the cafeteria, they only managed to get a few signed up per lunch period because of the lagging platform, while long lines formed at the booth.
“It was so complicated, and we could feel everyone’s frustration growing each day we did it,” Rutledge said. “We had a bunch of people asking why we didn’t do stickers, and honestly, I’m still not sure why.”
Senior Laney Spaulding waited in the line for 30 minutes with her date. She said most people also entered the school late, so she didn’t miss anything “important.”
“People seemed lightly annoyed, but for the most part it was fine,” Spaulding said. “We were all hanging out together no matter if we were inside or outside in the line. Maybe it ticked other people off, but I really didn’t think it was that big of a deal.”
Wilson said the delays “disappointed” him, but his homecoming was enjoyable regardless.
“As an officer in charge of co-leading the foods and commons decorating group, I was very happy with how the photo booth, table and food vendors turned out,” Wilson said. “As an attendee of homecoming, I had a good time dancing with my friends and getting pictures. A line shouldn’t be a reason to have a bad night.”