New DJs are getting ready for their Malvern Homecoming debut.

Homecoming this year will be a little different as sophomore Desmond Papariello and senior Andrew Panzo take the stage as DJs and attempt to give the student body a Homecoming they will never forget.

This is not the first time a Malvern Student will be DJing the dance, as graduate Steve Satterthwaite ‘13 has done it before.

Papariello and Panzo have experience in being DJs, as they have DJ’ed Malvern Middle School dances and dances at St. Patrick’s School in the past. However, they have never performed a gig as big as Malvern Homecoming.

“The pressure is starting to build,” Papariello said. “Hearing a lot from the students, you know, like make it good. But I’m not really worried.”

Papariello has been in contact with Satterthwaite for ideas and tips on what to do when all eyes turn to him on October 24.

“[Satterthwaite] recommended a lot of old school, a lot of throwback,” Papariello said. “He said ‘play it loud, play it long and kill it.’”

Leading up to the week of the dance, Panzo, Papariello, and senior Christian D’Ascenzo, who is building the stage, were anxious about requests they had made to the homecoming committee. They were concerned about funding for equipment and what sort of lighting would be permitted.

“Dr. Fry came in and literally sat down and said ‘What do you guys want?’” Panzo said. “So we told him, and we compromised.”

The student DJs understand the changes to this year’s dance. Unlike in previous years, there will be no strobe lights at the dance, according to Papariello.

“There are some people that are negatively affected by strobe lights,” Director of Student Life Dr. James Fry said. “If there is someone that has epilepsy and they see a strobe light they can go into a seizure. When there are 350 people from the outside coming in… I am going to err on the side of caution.”

The new DJs remain excited about the upcoming dance, and are busy in preparations.

“We always meet at community time, just to work on music and talk about music,” Papariello said. “We’re not planning out our setlist song by song, because that takes a certain effect out of DJing. We only pick certain vibes at certain times, and pick the songs on the spot.”

“We have to get the fans to trust us, because if they don’t then they won’t have fun,” Papariello said. “Then we can throw in some more electronic stuff and more fun songs.”

“We have a lot of fun doing it, it can be [a lot of pressure], but I don’t feel it,” Papariello said. “It’s just a lot of fun cause we love doing it.”

So what can Malvern students expect at Homecoming?

“Some surprises are confidential until the dance,” Papariello said. “But they can expect a lot of fun. And a lot of nationalism.”

Nationalism? “American flags. That’s as far as I can go,” Papariello said with a smile.