Dances are a big part of high school culture, with the traditions surrounding them, the time they’re at, and much more. How do the SBOs plan all of these dances, how long do they take to plan, and how do they decorate?
To plan the dances, Jarius McCarthy, the Student Body Secretary, says, “Somewhere between six weeks and six months, I’d say, is what we generally expect.” These dances can take so long due to the SBOs wanting to put their own flair on the dances, as well as wanting to put as much detail into the dances as time allows.
“A huge part of being a SBO is making it your own and forging your own identity,” says McCarthy. The SBOs are encouraged to not only plan for the dance but also put their own ideas of what a dance like the Winter Formal looks like to them. It’s what sets every dance apart from each other; it’s not the same brains and same ideas. It’s a clean slate every year. The SBOs also get to create and put up their own decorations for the dances, and the time needed to set up varies depending on the level of decoration along with where the dance is going to be held.
“It does take somewhere between two to four hours to set up, depending on how many decorations there are,” McCarthy says. The ways the SBOs can decorate Skyline also varies depending on the level they want to go to. They will always change the center display in the Commons, which you could see as the decorations running across from the Nest to the Media Center. They also put up decorations, like snowflakes for the upcoming Winter Formal, and posters around the school. The location of the dance is also a factor the SBOs will take into consideration.
“The Commons is faster, but it’s not as popular as setting up in the gym,” said McCarthy. When the SBOs start to set up for the actual dance, they will move the banner from the hallway in front of the English pods to the gym so more people can see it. Then, they will set up balloons, and finally, other specialized decorations, more catered towards the dance’s theme.
As dances come and go, people notice the decorations but don’t usually think about the length the SBOs take to plan them and set them up. So the next time you’re at a dance, or notice the decorations around the school, thinking about the process the SBOs take to set everything up can help to understand the lengths they go to. “We familiarized ourselves so that people can get hype for the dance and start asking people out.” McCarthy says.
