The Snowcoming dance held on Saturday night at Loyola Academy drew a larger crowd than last year, filling the gym with students from all grades.
The dance featured new activities and a brand new name, bringing the event major improvement in attendance and in student engagement compared to previous years.
One of the biggest changes this year was the addition of new games like ice curling, Gaga Ball, ping pong and bags, that kept much of the crowd entertained. In contrast, last year’s activities were limited to spikeball. Senior student Max Petherbridge, who attended the dance, believed that the dance this year was a real hit and credited the games for making the dance a great success.
“I really enjoyed the diversity of the games this year, especially the curling game. It made the whole time that much better,”Petherbridge said.
Other than the games, the music and DJ also stood out as a highlight of this year’s dance. Many students could be seen packing the dance floor and enjoying their time. According to Ms. Krein, the student council director and head coordinator of the dance, the DJ choice received overwhelmingly positive feedback.
“People usually complain about the music, and I actually had people asking if I was having those DJs for prom,” she said.
Concerns about low attendance from last year were also dismissed, as this year the turnout exceeded expectations. “I think that this one was very successful from the perspective of attendance,” Ms. Krein said. “We had 590 people that came to dance. I think the most tickets were freshmen, but seniors were next, then sophomores, then juniors.”
However, not everything went as planned. The greatly anticipated iceless ice skating activity was canceled due to missing permission slips. Ms. Krein explained that, “we didn’t have people turn in permission slips and we need to have permission slips signed and no one really did that.”
Another change this year was Loyola Academy and the dance board’s decision to change the name from Winter Formal to Snowcoming. The name change came after last year’s lack of attendance and the desire for a fresh start.
“I was trying to have a new name, and so something like Homecoming but for winter…and something that sounded a little more fun than Winter Formal,” Ms. Krein said.
Despite past struggles with attendance and reputation, many students think that this dance is making a comeback.
Petherbridge urges seniors to go. “I think that this dance was much better than last year and think that it will be just as good next year,” he said. “I think that all seniors should go because it is one of the last dances they have left before they graduate.”
