On April 24, the Student Government Association held its first annual underclassmen spring dance in the gym.
Overall, the dance had mixed results, with only a few hundred kids showing up, and many SGA representatives are viewing this dance as a starting point for bigger and better events in the future.
“I would say the dance was pretty successful. Even though there might not have seemed to be a lot of people, I feel like this dance did a good job of setting up underclassmen dances for the future,” said Tiki Peterson, a sophomore student representative for SGA.
For SGA, setting up an event like this was a massive task for everyone involved.
“This was a really busy time of the year for everyone,” said Peterson. “Many events and sports were going on. It was also hard to get people on board to buy tickets when there was no previous dance to compare it to.”
Even though SGA shouldered most of the weight of making the dance, the administration still had a big role in helping the dance come to life.
“Administration was able to help us with grants to pay for the DJ and photobooth, and also get us security. The PE teachers also helped out by not being in the gym during setup time,” said sophomore SGA secretary Brielle Peralta.
The biggest challenge of this dance was overcoming the struggles of trying to succeed where previous student governments have failed when it comes to making it happen. The spring dance has been cancelled for 4 years in a row because not enough people signed up to go. But this year, SGA tried a different approach and was able to make it happen.
“We started planning really early. We also tried to make sure there was interest beforehand,” said Peterson. “We did things like polls to see if enough people would go before we got too serious. We tried hard with promotions in advance and stayed serious in our planning throughout the whole process.”
Outside of the preparation, the dance itself had mixed reviews.
“Overall, I had a good time. There were some times where it was a bit boring because the gym seemed kind of empty, but I had a good time,” said Elijah Milsap ‘28.
When comparing the dance to other dances like homecoming or prom, it falls short in some ways to fulfill a real desire students have.
“I think the dance was fun, but I feel like it was lacking something extra, as homecoming does. I think if they are to do something like this next year, they should add some theme or something,” said Milsap.
Overall, the dance was a success and had many benefits, and the students had a great time. The dance provided another way for underclassmen to socialize during a time when there are many events for upperclassmen, like prom, grad night, and campout. Even though the dance had some mixed reviews, it is still a big step in the right direction towards more events for students.
“Hopefully, people can see the potential of the dance and work hard, with new freshmen bringing in new ideas every year. The councils will continue to learn what steps are taken to have a successful event,” said Peterson.
