Have you been participating in Spirit Week? Last week, each day had a theme, leading up to the pep rally on Friday. While the pep rally is certainly fun, you might have enjoyed what came Saturday even more.
Chances are you’ve attended, or at least heard of, the semi formal dance in the past. With another having recently passed, I think it’s important to know the effort that Student Council puts into planning it. I talked to Taylor Suozzo, the sophomore class Public Relations Officer, and Olivia Archard, the sophomore class Vice President, to learn more.
So first, who plans what? Each class’ student council has specific tasks that they complete in order to organize a dance. The seniors are in charge of most of the major planning, like the date, chaperones, and publicity. By publicity, I mean putting up posters and announcing the event through social media. The juniors’ job is to sell tickets, and sophomores decorate the cafe. Freshmen take care of refreshments and snacks. However, some of these jobs are often shared. Anyone in student council can come up with ideas for the theme of the dance, which is ultimately left to a vote.
Speaking of the theme, what was it this year? Last year, the theme was Winter Wonderland. This year, there was the idea of a Snowball Dance, but that was deemed too similar to last year’s idea. Also, says Taylor Suozzo, “we’re all tired of winter”. Another option being considered was a tropical theme, in an effort to make those winter blues go away, but this idea was nixed in favor of the official theme; Valentine’s Day Dance. But, in spite of it seeming to be a couples event, plenty of people had fun within groups of friends. The semi-formal dance has never been a singles-only event, and this upcoming one was no exception.
Okay great, but how do they raise the money? Well, the Student Council uses the leftover money from the previous dances, both this year and last, to get the budget going. They also organize fundraising events. For example, this year some Student Council officers sold coffee and hot chocolate during the Craft Fair. Junior members usually sell Christmas wreaths around the holidays. Any money the Student Council makes from fundraisers goes into the fund for dances and more fundraisers.
Now you know all about the effort that went into the semi formal dance, and one can appreciate to a fuller extent that it’s a great way to get together with friends, dress up, and pave the way for future events organized by the Student Council.
