The spring formal for eighth graders at Edison Intermediate School (EIS) is a very exciting event that students look forward to the whole year! But what if eighth graders didn’t have to wait so long? What if we included a winter formal somewhere in the middle of the year?
Dancing and having fun with friends creates good times and memories, so having more school dances could improve students’ overall eighth grade experience. Especially in the winter, when days are much sadder for students due to shorter days and less sunlight. “The shift in seasons may bring the ‘winter blues’ or a more significant seasonal shift in mood known as Seasonal Affective Disorder” (University Health Services).
Eighth grade student Julianna DeTrolio claimed, “I would like a winter formal because I like to dance, and it would be a fun way to make the winter better.”
Julianna shows that a winter dance would boost the happiness of students to get them motivated and excited for the school year, especially when students are overwhelmed with work.
Furthermore, dances have many benefits, including opportunities to socialize with peers outside of school. Many friends and students don’t get chances to see each other since they have different schedules and sometimes don’t even have the chance to see each other at lunch. So more dances and formals can help students socialize with friends, new and old. Seventh grade student Nicholas Dudleieviez stated, “The lunch periods aren’t the same every day, and I don’t have classes with some of my friends, so I only get to see them after school.”
This proves why having a winter formal could be an awesome opportunity to see your friends more, especially when seeing them during school hours is hard.
Another reason why a winter dance could benefit the school is because it is perfect for fundraising. “Any opportunity to sell tickets for a school-sponsored occasion, like a sports game or school dance, is an opportunity to fundraise. These funds go directly back into throwing the awesome event or supporting other school projects” (Raptor Productions). Our school could use the money from the ticket sales and other fundraising projects to help create the perfect dance, and if there is any money leftover, it could be used to improve the school overall.
“I would buy the tickets if they were $15 to benefit the school,” said eighth grade student Ella Mirsky.
Ella shows us that if the tickets were open to the entire school instead of just eighth grade, we could get more ticket sales since more kids might want to go as well. This would raise a lot of money for improvements to the school and the dance.
Having themes that go along with the winter formal could also make a dance like this more fun for students at EIS. Students could dress to match the theme and decorations that go along could also be put up, making the formal feel like a special event. Natalie Gorin, a seventh grader at EIS, stated, “I would like a winter formal because it would be fun with holiday themes, and you could be with your friends.”
Natalie’s thoughts on the formal prove that the holiday season is a very exciting time of the year, and could be improved with a dance like this to bring together students in one of the best ways possible. If you themed the whole dance around a specific theme, such as “Winter Wonderland,” kids could have fun trying to coordinate outfits to the theme or guess what kind of decorations will be there.
All in all, winter formals in middle school can be a great way to boost school spirit, raise money, give students an opportunity to socialize with their friends, and give students motivation and something to look forward to in the dreary, winter months.
