by Grace McBride ’28

Potential winter formal festivities.

Sherwood has one dance a year for freshmen through juniors called homecoming, apart from seniors who get homecoming and prom. Adding a winter formal to the school year for non-seniors would create a new school tradition and increase school spirit. 

  The winter months are hard and after the holidays are over, there’s not much for students to look forward to. Adding in a winter formal towards the end of January or in early February gives students something to eagerly anticipate. Making an in-person tradition, such as a winter formal, gives students a chance to look up from their phones and get together face to face to socialize. Two dances being available for freshmen would also be beneficial for them because the transition from middle school to high school can be challenging. With another dance, they could get a chance to meet more people. Excluding the senior class from a winter forum could give lower classmen something special centered around them, as well as relieve concerns of the oldest students at the school socially mingling with the youngest. This year can be a trial run, and if attendance and student feedback are good, a winter formal can be made into an annual school year tradition at Sherwood.  

Funding and putting together the dance shouldn’t be seen as a challenge. Some parents likely would want to help fund the dance through donations and volunteer as chaperones, noting that the socialization aspect of a dance would be beneficial for the life of their kids. The cost of the tickets could help cover costs as well. The fact that it’s cheaper than prom when including dress/suit prices, food, ticket prices and transportation makes it more accessible for students, including those not old enough to work yet. Class officers for grades 9-11 could use a winter formal as a chance to collaborate together as student-organizers. Students could take the lead to solicit fundraisers or donations from nearby fast-food spots, and there could be SSL hours for whoever chooses to help set up the dance.

Polls could be sent out to students to choose a theme, such as winter wonderland, northern lights, winter glow (LED lights, glow sticks, neon colors), etc. This would get students involved and immersed in the new tradition by giving them a sense of responsibility to make decisions and have control over their own dance.

A winter formal at Sherwood would make a new tradition that allows  students to come together while giving them something exciting to look forward to during the colder months and third quarter. An added bonus is that freshmen would have a great opportunity to feel a sense of belonging with their fellow classmates and also those students in the grade levels ahead of them.