On Friday, Januar y 9, the “Winter Wonderland” Middle School Dance lit up the auditorium, filling it with close to 140 students! The decorations were impressive, and the snacks provided by the PTA were well-loved. Generally, the dance was enjoyed by many students.
This year, a photo booth and a snack table were available at the dance. Although the photo booth wasn’t printing photos for around half an hour, numerous students had their photo taken, and many shots were photo- bombed by middle schoolers looking for a laugh. The snack table consisted of drinks, candy, and food, including Gatorade, water, Swedish Fish, Oreos, and chips. This table was a favorite among many students. Sixth grader Avery Deikus stated, “The best part was the snacks.” The auditorium was decorated with fake snowballs, snowflakes, and a disco ball, which lit up the room like a firework.
Because the student council was juggling the talent show and wellness week, as well as the fact that it was right after winter break, planning the dance was difficult. “Organizing the dance was a struggle,” said Tom Virgadamo, the faculty adviser for the Middle School Student Council. “We can’t thank the PTA enough for assisting with the decor, food, and drinks.” According to Virgadamo, the fundraiser made a total of around $900 for the student council, $760 of which was made from sales of the donated drinks and snacks from the PTA. Some of the money was used to fund an expansion of the Middle School Section in the Haldane Outlook.
While many students enjoyed the dance, others found room for improvement. Seventh grader Amalia Timm stated, “I personally didn’t have as much fun as last year, but I still liked it.” Eighth grader Cayleigh Deikus shared a similar opinion, saying, “It was fun, but there could have been better songs, and there could’ve been a less frequent change in the songs; they were getting cut in the middle for no reason.” Of course, many students liked the dance, like eighth grader MiaCruz Digiglio, who stated, “overall, I think everyone who contributed to the setup of the dance did a spectacular job, because me and all my friends had a great time!” Seventh grader Gwendolyn Burgoon echoed that positive experience, stating, “the dance was so cool!”
