In the years leading up to 2025, HHS has offered students of all grades three school dances; Homecoming, Winter Formal and Sadies; however, this year the spring dance, Sadies, has been cancelled.
Homecoming has always been a fan favorite dance here at HHS. A survey sent out to sophomores through seniors reports that 63% of students claim this dance is the most entertaining and enjoyable. On the other hand, Sadies has been notoriously known as the least interesting dance, with 61% of students stating that they dislike the event.
Speculations point towards the cause of the cancellation is the decreasing popularity of school dances. Student Government advisor, Mrs. Kaltner, has confirmed “Sadies is typically the least attended dance. Last year we tried to entice more students to attend by selling tickets in advance for $15, offering games in the main gym and having Floor Band perform. Our total attendance was around 350 students.” This has become a trend leading up to this year, but why?
The majority of school dances are planned by the student government, with the exception of Winter Formal. The student body spends months planning and crafting amazingly themed dances; however, despite going to great lengths to promote these events, in recent years the turnout has been underwhelming.
So what actually attracts students to attend school dances? According to the student body there are several enticing factors:
Being with friends, good music, fun exciting atmosphere, seeing people they know in formal attire and pretty dresses, just in general having a good time dancing and going crazy, hanging out with their friends, going out to dinner, getting ready, taking pictures, just saying that “I went.” But do these components outweigh what the students dislike about the school events? The students claim the following reasons deter them from attending school functions:
“Not enough people to make it exciting, DJ plays bad songs, and sweaty smelly high schoolers everywhere”
“Not enough people go”,
“I do not like the music and the vibes are not there. Not too many people like attending the dances anymore because they are so strict with the music and dance rules”
“It’s like 7 rap/hip-hop songs for every dance song when it should be the other way around. Like how am I supposed to dance to God’s Plan by Drake?”
Overall the most notable complaint is the atmosphere. Even though these functions require months of tedious planning and committees putting 100% effort and focus into them, it’s merely impossible to satisfy every single student. It’s understandable that not every student will enjoy it, but maybe expectations should be a little more in touch with reality.
Does social media play a key role in this trend? As students have become glued to the internet, they have been less inclined to feel a strive for social interactions as all their forms of communication lie within their hands. Gen Z has also pushed a society where the words “embarrassment” and “awkwardness” define our every move, students feel as though attending school dances can be seen as a sign of shame rather than a great opportunity to socialize and just have fun.
Another major underlying reason for such poor attendance at school dances could be the lack of school spirit the student body has. They are so caught up in the academic side of high school that the social component has just become less relevant to students. The hyperfixation to receive report cards with only the letters “A” and “B” is taking students’ focus away from school events, they would rather spend their nights indulged in text books opposed to attending a basketball game.
According to Transforming Education, an organization that focuses on helping students alter their academic attitude and mind sets, “75% of high school students and 50% of middle school students feel constant stress over homework.” This never-ending pressure could have a correlation to the lack of wanting to attend social events.
Students also aren’t recognizing that school events like dances fund activities and programs that they take advantage of. For example the funds for journalism and yearbook comes from the revenue taken in after Winter Formal.
School spirit has been on the radar of many students as they have noticed that as their high school years progress their peers have been increasingly more disinterested in school affairs and this is clearly reflected not only through school dance attendance, but sporting events and school plays. They have been lacking the support and attention they deserve.
Although many students are devastated with the news of the cancellation of Sadies, there are still efforts being made to create an entertaining event in place of the dance. Student government member, Natani Agee, comments on the subject, “As of right now there is still a Sadies committee and we are working on whether or not to have a different event that night or do the dance. It’s still up in the air and I’m pretty sure we still have the school reserved.” Could this entice students and help foster a sense of school spirit that has been missing?
The whole idea of an stress-free, casual event might be just what HHS needs. If students don’t have to go through the lengthy process of planning to attend a dance which consists of weeks prior outfit planning, coordinating dinner arrangements, and scheduling with friends then attendance of school events could see a significant rise.
Reestablishing school dance popularity should be on HHS’s 2025 list of priorities. Dances play a prominent role in the high school experience and should be looked back as immensely memorable events that we can cherish forever.
