Four hundred and seventy-five students enjoyed an evening at the Children’s Discovery Museum on Dec. 5 during this year’s Winter Formal, themed “Frozen in Time,” which lasted from 8-11 p.m.
Though ASB initially planned on only having 350 students attend, more were able to go after the school arranged for more buses to bring students to the museum. Many of the students in attendance believed the off-campus venue added to the experience.
“I liked how there were things for us to do such as the hands-on activities at the museum that were unique to the venue,” senior Michael Ren said. “At the same time, there were traditional photos and games that were also well-received.”
The ASB and dance commission began visiting possible off-campus venues before the start of the school year and chose the Children’s Discovery Museum at the end of summer, which gave them ample time to plan for the event.
“We decided to hold Formal at the museum after we heard about Cupertino’s junior prom,” sophomore dance commissioner Lillian Zeng said. “We visited the museum and asked about prices and decided that it would be a nice place to hold Formal.”
Zeng said that holding Winter Formal at the museum allowed attendees to participate in a variety of activities besides dancing. Students were able to enjoy themselves at many of the museum's unique exhibits. With two floors, the venue included polaroid stations, a photo booth, a corn-husk doll making station, waterways, a shadow light show, games and more.
“If we held Winter Formal in the Large Gym,” Zeng said, “then 90 percent of the venue would be the dance floor.”
In the past, setting up for dances was a long and arduous process, ASB president Aakash Thumaty said. Leadership adviser Rebeca Marshburn, along with the dance commission and ASB, typically spent hours before and after dances setting and cleaning up.
Holding Winter Formal at the Children’s Discovery Museum helped remedy some of those challenges since there was less to decorate and clean up, Thumaty said, even though there was less time to set up. Since the museum closes at 5 p.m., there were only two hours to prepare for the dance.
“The two-hour window was short,” Thumaty said. “But with parent help, it was more doable to get all the planned decorations set up.”
The venue also offered a variety of light snacks, drinks and sweets. On the first floor, there was a table with snacks ranging from chips to chicken wings as well with a drink station. Upstairs, there was a chocolate fountain and candy station where students were able to pack little packages with assortments of hard and soft candies.
“I was really happy with how Winter Formal turned out this year,” Thumaty said. “It seemed like most of the attendees really enjoyed the plethora of activities available. The food was, in my opinion, the best we’ve had at a non-prom dance since I’ve been here [at SHS].”
Besides exploring the different activities around the venue, students also found time to visit the dance floor. This year, the dance commission decided to hire DJ Delicious.
“The DJ selected songs that really hyped up the atmosphere,” junior Daniel Lee said. “They were fun. They were ‘turnt.’”
In light of this dance’s popularity, Thumaty expects more off-campus dances in the future.
“I think off-campus dances will really become the new norm for our school from now on,” Thumaty said. “The success of this dance really locks that in.”
