The first two years of high school are often associated with exciting orientations and new beginnings. Freshman year is a time to explore a more intense curriculum and start shaping your identity. Self-discovery is continued through sophomore year, and by the end of it students have completed 50% of high school. They have completed their first high school midterms week, and many have played in their first high school sports games, although up until recently, students have waited to attend their first high school dance until their junior year. Led by Student Council Advisor Mr. Steven Lopez and advocated for by HHS parents, the high school administration has recently set out to change that standard by introducing the “Snowball,” a social event for freshmen and sophomores.
According to Steven Lopez, the idea to host a dance for lowerclassmen initially arose when a “few parents expressed a desire for ninth graders to attend these types of events.” However, the parents were shut down by the administration who informed them of the history behind why ninth and and tenth grade dances were banned nearly 10 years ago. Lopez explained how student conduct during the dance such as “drinking alcohol excessively before” or “demonstrating inappropriate behavior during the dance,” were the primary reasons for the dance to be shut down permanently in the 2016-2017 school year. Many faculty members even declined the opportunity to chaperone the dance.
Despite this set of hurdles, Lopez persevered in his mission to develop a social event — he elaborates on this journey by saying, “I examined all the factors involved in hosting a dance, discussed with administration and the PTSA, and ultimately determined it would be nice to host a smaller scale dance.” He went on to summarize the details behind the ‘smaller-scale idea,’ explaining how the event would involve “only 9th and 10th graders,” adding that “no students outside of HHS are allowed to attend, [and there will be] minimal decor, minimal food and drink offerings, and the event would last just two hours.” In line with the smaller scale decor, the style expectations weren’t that fancy either, with Lopez stating that the dance would be “semi formal with the hopes that no one feels they need to buy clothing or get their hair done.” He continued by suggesting students wear a “polo or button down shirt with slacks” or a “dressier blouse or perhaps a casual dress,” in order to go along with the semi-formal theme. While the Snowball was targeted to underclassmen, the initiative and planning was made in collaboration with the adults in the administration. Lopez cited the support of Mr. Clayman, Ms. Ware, and the PTSA as integral, and he specifically elaborated on the role of the PTSA, by emphasizing how the event “would be impossible” without their participation.
Sophomores Claire Grushko and Lachlan Muldoon, two students who attended the “Snowball,” shared how they felt that the dance was more ‘low-key.’ Grushko shared: “The snow ball didn’t really seem like a big hit. There were maybe 20 people there…there was virtually no grade-mixing/[different grade level] interactions.” Grushko added how people communicated with one another to plan outfits, stating how “everyone was going to show up in dresses…once we communicated with other people in the grade, we decided it was best to wear semi-formal outfits.” When asked about a highlight of the night, Grushko added “the best part of the whole event was what we did with each other once we left.” Muldoon shared a similar perspective, sharing how “no [different grade level] bonding really took place at all,” yet the dance still provided a “good opportunity to socialize.” Muldoon elaborated on his perspective of the dress code, saying: “Most people wore, like, jeans, and quarter zips. I think the semi-formal [theme] was kinda meh, it wasn’t like crazy formal.” Muldoon finished his reflection by sharing a silly highlight from the party: “my friends in the student union embarrassing themselves by trying to become circus people and doing leapfrog at the party.”
However, many chose not to attend the dance. Freshman Linnea Krogsgaard stated that “[she] hadn’t heard from many people who were attending it, and didn’t think it would be fun.” She even mentioned that many joked that the Snowball “was going to be on the 32nd of January, contributing to the fact that no one was actually going or looking forward to it.” Aside from a general lack of interest from some, others steered clear of the dance for reasons concerning peer conduct. One anonymous student stated a rumor that circulated: “I heard many people were going to be ‘pre-gaming’…so I didn’t really want to be a part of that. It just seemed like [the Snowball] wouldn’t be fun overall.” Furthermore, the event seemed to conflict with practices, homework, and even cut close to HHS One Acts rehearsal. Sophomore Ella Tadmor stated that she didn’t go, as the One Acts rehearsal ended a mere 30 minutes before the dance.
If instituted next year, the “Snowball” will hopefully provide a more alluring opportunity to socialize with different grades, however, the turnout of the dance leads administrators and students to wonder, ‘is it worth having a Snowball next year?’
