Hastings High School’s 2024 Junior Formal took place on November 21st. The Junior Formal, or “JF,” as it is known amongst students, is an annual dance held for the junior class to fundraise for the junior Student Union’s future events. At JF, which is held in the Cochrane Gym, students dress up, talk with friends, eat food, dance to DJ beats and colorful lights, and some bring a date. JF is a fun, social way for juniors to kick off a challenging yet rewarding academic year and bond with their peers. This year, the theme for JF was “Starry Night,” inspired by Van Gogh’s celebrated painting. Juniors were encouraged to attend meetings leading up to the event to discuss the theme of the formal, which involves the decorations and may have influenced the outfits of attendees.
A post-event survey was conducted amongst the junior class to get a broader understanding of how they felt about the event. On a scale of 1 to 5, the responses averaged 3.3 when asked how fun JF was and 4.12 about how much participants liked the theme. 84% of respondents think that Hastings High School should have more dances like JF throughout the school year, while 76% think that there should be more dances like JF for other grades. 80% of the juniors that were surveyed believe that the formal was just the right length, 12% believe it was too short, and 8% believe that it was too long.
Open-ended questions were also posed; the most common fashion trends that respondents cited include plain black suits and black and blue, sparkly, and short dresses. When asked about the best part about JF, many students mentioned the friends they spent time with and the photo booth, with one student saying, “I loved the photo booth because it was fun to take the photos with my friends while having a memento from the night.” Another student said that their favorite part of JF was “the ability to make song requests for the DJ to play.” Finally, the students were asked about the food. Most students said that the food was “good” or even “perfect” – one student even said, “The food was better than expected. Many people loved the chocolate fountain.” However, not everyone was a fan: some said that the food was too cold and was not very pleasant to eat.
Overall, the Junior Formal was received well and most of the students who were surveyed would support more events like it throughout the year and for more grades. The “Starry Night” theme received praise, most likely due to the collaborative student input prior to the event, and sharp dressers were spotted at the Junior Formal. Although some students see room for improvement, it was an event that many enjoyed and, with the photos from the photo booth, have souvenirs to remember it by.
