Ninth grade social requires preparation

On May 24, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., the annual social for ninth graders took place.  Preparation for this dance was done by advisors Stephanie McAleer and Julie Gardner.  The ninth grade committee also helped set up for the dance.  Students who plan to attend the dance also have to prepare.

“The social requires reserving the gyms and communicating with gym teachers, making sure there is security and enough chaperones, ordering decorations, booking a DJ, photographer and photo booth, shopping for food and supplies, ordering soda, booking cafeteria workers to serve food and drinks, printing, cutting and numbering tickets, preparing materials for ticket sales and communicating with principals and secretaries about fines and probation,” co-advisor McAleer said.

 The ninth grade committee aids in helping set up.

 “We meet with the ninth grade committee members to discuss ticket sales, decorating procedures and actually assembling and placing the decorations,” McAleer said.

 Preparation starts months before the dance.

 “We select the date at the end of the previous school year, along with Mrs. Mangan and Mr. Koehle.  We begin booking services and ordering decorations a few months prior to the dance,” McAleer said.

 The ninth grade committee had a lot to do.

 “We have to do everything and figure out where we want everything and set it up.  Our teacher said we are on a ‘field trip,’ so as soon as we get to school we go and put our stuff in our lockers, and then we head down to the gym to start working.  We have so much to do and not a lot of time to do it,” ninth grader Emma Skelley said.

 McAleer believed the outcome of the dance would be good.

 “The students always have a great time and hopefully leave with memories that they will keep for a long time,” McAleer said.

 Students had to prepare for the dance as well.

 “It is a very stressful process because you hope no one has the same dress as you.  You also have to worry about if you can get the dress you want in your size, and if not then you have to start all over,” Skelley said.

 Just like the advisers and the ninth grade committee started preparing early, the students did also.

 “I started preparing about two months ago, but the one thing I forgot about were my shoes,” Skelley said.

 It is up to the students to make the dance enjoyable for themselves.

 “The social is what the students make it, and we can only provide the opportunity.  It is up to the students to allow themselves to enjoy it,” McAleer said.

 The social gave students various things to do.

 “The social was so fun.  I got to hang with a lot of my friends and take a lot of pictures with them.  I also got to dance to a lot of songs,” ninth grader Alyssa Michaels said.

 The students had expectations for the dance.

 “My expectations are that it’ll be fun and that everyone will have fun celebrating our last dance here at the junior high before we head off to the high school,” Skelley said.

 Michaels’ expectations were made.

 “It was above my expectations. They turned the gym into an amazing place to spend the night,” Michaels said.

 There were 200 tickets sold, and $2,000 was raised.  120 students earned a free ticket by selling candy.