On January 24th, Bulldogs gathered together at Mountain View Farm for our 2025 – 2026 winter formal. “A Night Under the Stars” was chosen by our student council members for our theme this year. The dance was decorated with paper stars everywhere, fairy lights, and tinsel hanging from the ceiling to the floor. For many students, winter formal is a night to have fun with your friends, dance to music, and take photos that will last a lifetime.
Winter formal is planned and organized by all the sophomores in student council, and they put a lot of time and effort into this dance. “We started planning winter formal in late November,” states student council member, sophomore Ana Lopes. Needing to buy materials, make props, find a venue, and so many other things make the job difficult for the student council to coordinate and plan. As stated by Lopes, all of the materials were purchased a couple of weeks before the dance itself. With this, the winter formal committee had to plan the dance floor and use the materials wisely in order to have enough decorations to go around. Lopes also stated that student council has a very strategic plan to follow when putting the dance together, “Each sophomore was the head of something. For example, … me and [Alondra Medrano] were head of the dance floor and the DJ.” Lopes goes on to say that two of her fellow Bulldogs in student council were heads of the photos and so on. This creates a shared responsibility so that not one small group of council members is putting together the whole dance as well.
Choosing all of the aspects that make up winter formal is also very hard for the student council committee. For starters, the theme in particular is one thing that everyone looks forward to getting to know about any dance. This year, student council chose three different themes and then voted on the final one. Lopes states, “…We had Night Under the Stars, Tangled, and we had some other things too. Then we presented [the themes] to the whole class, and everyone picked which theme they liked the most. Night under the stars was the most voted one.” Also, when asked about the venue choice, Lopes stated, “The venue was nice, but it felt kind of small.” She stated that people were shoulder-checking others throughout the night and that a larger venue would have been nicer for everyone.
Hadley Fenske, a sophomore here at Palisade High, also commented on the size of the venue. Fenske stated, “I think [the size of the venue] was perfect because there wasn’t a set dance floor and instead it was everywhere.” Fenske stated that she felt like the sizing of the venue was perfect and not too crowded. Around 9:45, Fenske stated that it seemed like people started to leave and empty out. One thing that has annoyed people in the past is the constant mosh pit and no other form of dancing during dances. Fenske stated, “It was less of a mosh pit and more of everyone just dancing.” To see our school moving past mosh culture is a new experience for many people, as even during this year’s Homecoming dance, the main form of dancing was in a mosh pit.
Many people go to the dance in groups as well, whether it be for pictures, eating out, or just getting ready together. Fenske stated, “The group I went with made it extra fun, and everyone seemed like they were having a good time.” Overall, the night is about having fun with friends and making memories that will last. Some people look back at high school and think one of two things; “I wish I had done more stuff,” or “I’m happy that I made those memories.” Be sure to think about that the next time you think about going to a dance. Each experience is unique, but as long as you’re surrounded by the people who make your life happier, you won’t regret a single second.
