In previous years, the only school dance the underclassmen experienced throughout the school year was Homecoming. This year, the SHS Student Council has added the Winter Wonderland Dance to take place in Senior Commons on Saturday, Feb. 8 from 7-9 p.m.
Student Council advisor Sean Fisher stated that Solon High School did have winter dances sporadically in the past but hasn’t had one for the past decade or so.
“I’m not sure why it went away,” said Fisher. “It’s difficult in the winter to find a weekend [that fits everyone’s schedule]. There’s so many winter sports schedules, and there are clubs that are doing competitions. So, it is difficult to find a weekend that works for everybody, but we tried to find a weekend that fit as many schedules as we could.”
Senior Event Manager for Student Council Cicily Skok said that the decision for a winter dance was largely due to the growing calls for an event by the student body.
“We started it because we have a lot of requests that people wanted a winter dance,” said Skok. “A lot of other schools have a winter dance, but we never had one. We only had Homecoming and Prom. We just had a bunch of General Assembly members and students coming up to our officers and asking if we’d ever have a winter dance, and we just decided to try it out this year.”
So why should you go to the Winter Dance?
To start, To top it off, for students who are not fans of dancing, you’re in luck. The Winter Dance will have games for students to play with their friends.
Choi said that there is a diverse range of games available to play at the dance.
“We have a lot of board games,” she said. “We have chess, checkers and a variety of older games that can bring nostalgia that the Student Council would provide.”
Another thing to consider is that the cost of the Winter Dance is much cheaper compared to the other dances SHS has held. While Homecoming tickets cost $25, the Winter Dance only costs $10.
Senior Co-President of Student Council Alexis Choi said that the pricing difference is due to more material needed for Homecoming.
“It’s cheaper because we don’t have the Homecoming T-shirts that we normally sell with the tickets and also the duration of the dance is one hour shorter,” Choi said.
In addition to the price difference, there will also be a far more relaxed dress code. Dressing in formal attire for the dance would be optional, and students can wear relaxed clothing if they choose. Not having to wear formal clothing means that students can save money instead of having to buy an expensive suit or dress in order to attend.
“We wanted to make the winter dance more inclusive of the student body,” Choi said. “One way that we did that was by limiting the dress code by being more open and not making it formal.”
To top it off, the Winter Dance will also have a smaller space compared to Homecoming since Homecoming takes place in the pool lobby and the gymnasium.
Senior Sasha Demenkova, who plans to attend the dance, stated that she feels that the smaller space will be beneficial due to the more intimate atmosphere.
“I honestly don’t think that as many people will go to this than Homecoming since Homecoming’s a huge dance and I think that [the smaller space will be more] appropriate for the number of people who’s going to be there,” Demenkova said.
Overall, the Winter Dance sounds like a relaxing and fun event to attend with your friends. Whether you are a fashionista eager to dress in glamorous attire or a laid-back person who doesn’t usually attend social events, the Winter Dance has something for everyone.
Skok highly encourages students to check out the dance and spread the word as well.
“I think you should tell all your friends to go,” Skok said. “It’s gonna be a super fun event and it’s our first ever winter dance. Why not just try it out and if you don’t like it, [you] can just give feedback for next year. But, I think it’s gonna be really fun and everyone’s gonna like it.”
So what are you waiting for? Tickets are available for purchase at until 5 p.m. this Saturday.
