Benilde-St. Margaret’s Student Council has announced that the typical Holiday Ball dance will be replaced with a Valentine’s dance this year. This decision was made based on several factors including, attendance rates, timing, and price. The new dance is scheduled for February 1st at the Metropolitan. So, what is there to look forward to?
There were many reasons why the Student Council decided to change the date and time of this mid-school year dance. The primary reason is the low attendance rates in comparison to the homecoming dance or prom. With how much BSM typically pays for the dance, there wasn’t enough interest to offset the cost. The reason for low attendance is unclear, however, there have been speculations. It could be due to the busy schedules that come with the Christmas season or the fact that winter sports teams often have overlaps. Another reason is that public schools such as Minnetonka and Edina do a Valentine’s or “Sweethearts” dance instead of winter formals. BSM plans to use the advertising from other schools’ dances to get the student body excited about their own. “Other schools also having a dance around the same time as us is kind of like an advertising kind of thing because it gets people excited. They see other people’s posts on Instagram, they want to make a post that kind of that kind of deal,” Student Council member Nadia Ehlert said.
One obstacle the Student Council faces with planning the Valentine’s ball is finding a way to prevent students from feeling pressured to go with a date. The name was changed from Sweethearts to Valentine’s Dance, however, the name may not be permanent and could potentially change again in the future to be more inclusive for all students. Usually, the Sweethearts or Valentine’s Day dance consists of girls asking a guy to be their date as opposed to the other way around. The Student Council is working to ensure students want to attend regardless of a partner, making the dance more about having fun than being romantically involved. “Traditionally, it would be a girls ask guys situation. So if you’re into that, be into it. But if you’re not, it’s not really a big deal. It’s kind of like homecoming, go with your gal pals and wear your florals. It’s really just like a fun time to get together with friends,” Ehlert said.
The BSM Student Council is still working out a few of these minor details, however hard work has gone into planning this event. The theme is just as the February date would suggest, and the venue will be decked out in all shades of red and pink with white accents and plenty of hearts. Student Council hopes that with a new theme that is different than “Winter”, students will be encouraged to attend and enjoy. “I’m excited to see people go. I’ve talked to my friends and they actually want to go to this dance because they want to wear their pink and red dresses and stuff. So I’m excited for that,” junior Mazlow Moquist said.