On Saturday, February 2, Palestine High School had their very first Winter Ball!  The dance was hosted by Palestine High School’s Student Senate, who decided this new event could be fun and enjoyable for PHS’s students!  About a month and a half ago, the idea was brought up in a Student Senate meeting, and the members determined that this could be a good way to make some money and have some fun at the same time.  Several members of the Student Senate joined committees to hire a DJ, to choose decorations for this winter dance, and to decorate the gym to create a winter vibe that would create a fun, festive aura.

After this meeting, some members got a start on making this dance possible, and they found a DJ who could bring lights and speakers and play a variety of music to make the first Winter Ball a good one.  One afternoon after school, members of the decorations committee met to pick out the table cloths, centerpieces, balloons, and the colors of gossamer needed. In one of the Student Senate meetings, Mr. Will also asked a member to create a flyer to post all over the school to spread the word.  Winter Ball took a lot of planning and work from its members, but they pulled it off and made it great!

A few days before the dance, several Student Senate members started to decorate the PHS gymnasium with the chosen decorations from a previous meeting, and the Winter Ball spirit started to come alive.  After school, several people started blowing up balloons and assembling the centerpieces, while getting the gossamer ready to go up. A couple of days later, the gym had several tables covered with white tablecloths and topped with a few wintery table decorations.  The gossamer seemed to flow through the air as it hung from the basketball goals and some wires. On the night of the dance, the DJ showed up early to set up his speakers and lights, and then it was time for the dance.

Winter Ball started at 7 p.m. and ended at 10, which gave students three hours to dance, drink some punch, and socialize with friends and teachers.  The decorations put up by Student Senate members were glowing and made the dance feel like a true winter ball, although the weather was fairly warm that day.  The DJ started the night with some popular tunes and continued in this fashion to keep PHS students having fun on the dancefloor, and he also allowed students at the dance to make requests, which was definitely a plus.  He also made sure to play the line dance songs that everyone likes and can dance to, such as “Cha-Cha Slide” and “Cupid Shuffle.”

In addition to the sparkling decorations and good music, there was also a punch table run by August Biernbaum and Blake Knoblett, where some students gathered while taking a break from the dancefloor and to socialize with other friends.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the night, as there was a swarm of students in the middle of the gym dancing and gathering around one another. Lindsay Ryan says, “I had lots of fun dancing with my friends,” and Brendyn Piper said, ”It was pretty dece.”  I thought the music was a good mix of new and throwback songs, which were groove-worthy. The decorations were lovely and very nicely display with strings of lights and gossamer to create a winter feel, which was achieved in my opinion.

Overall, I had a really great time at PHS’s first Winter Ball, and if I were given the chance to go again, I would.  The atmosphere was very fun with all the decorations and music to create a good time at PHS. I had a lot of fun seeing everyone have a good time dancing with their friends, and I believe the Winter Ball was a hit!