On the last evening of January, students congregated in the Performance Hall for the annual 10-12 Winter Ball. With decadent charcuterie boards, chocolate-covered strawberries, and lighting that, combined with the bluish color scheme, created a dazzling (and magical) ambiance. The Yule Ball, modeled off of the infamous tri-school dance scene from Harry Potter, was an activity in which students decompressed by gathering together in sparkly clothing to dance to an array of popular songs.

The night passed quickly, with friends mingling in large groups, chatting, dancing, and enjoying the cozy atmosphere. The room was split in two by black drapery. The west end featured spongy sofas, refreshments, and a faux fireplace twinkling with candlelight. The east side was a dance floor, spinning with dozens of projected multicolor lights. A scant half hour in, a group primarily consisting of gleeful juniors formed a dance circle. There were flashy moves, partner dances and breakdancing. The energy remained high until the very end of the dance, as the last couple of students pleaded with the DJ for one last song.

What often goes unnoticed, however, is the effort the class officers take to make the night special. I interviewed L and Abby, the 10th grade class officers who led the creation of the ball, to shine some “candlelight” on their thoughts on why they choose to put their limited time towards creating social events for the division to enjoy.

Planning the dance starts around a month prior with the presentation of visions and then final theme selection. The class officers noted the role of Pinterest board-making to really help to persuade the group of a certain theme. In this process, they try to be culturally inclusive by not making dances that are affiliated with religious events. However, they do have a history of basing the dances off of story-telling, as they did this year and last year with an 8-9 dance based on the legend of Sleepy Hollow. Commenting on this year’s theme, L proudly stated, “it’s seasonal, but it’s still creative.” They cooperate with Sage Dining to make food items that match the theme of the dance. They also pointed to the heavy involvement of the parents association, acknowledging that, “we would never be able to do it without them.”

When asked about their passion of being class officers, they explained how worthwhile event planning could be and about the positive anticipatory emotion of getting to prepare an outfit for a certain event. Abby ’28 spoke of how young people used to have more spaces to gather. Now, she said, “there’s not really a good space to just dance and have fun,” so they wanted to provide that.

L ’28 talked about how they come from a large “party family.” As an officer, L enjoys how they are “expected to interact with the community.” “I’ve been told by people, ‘oh, you’re embarrassing yourself,’ when in reality I’m just kind of like chilling and having fun…the entire class officer experience is giving people a good time.”

Abby pointed to how, while she adores events centered around music like concerts, dances are a more age-inclusive and price-accessible way to create a unifying atmosphere. All in all, we ought to appreciate the dances that they put so much thought and care into “conjuring up” for us.