StuCo Holds Annual Spring Formal

By ADELLE PITTS, KEVIN THANT, MARVIN SHIM and HANNAH WEI

      As the clock ticked 8:30 p.m., Thompson Gym was flooded with crowds of students attending the Spring Formal. “The Lion’s Den,” hosted on April 13, was Exeter’s first formal event since Fall Formal two terms ago and the first major event under the new Student Council Executive and Recreation Committee boards. The formal was a joint project between the old and new board, a farewell to the old and a welcome to the new. By the end of the night, many of the attendees found themselves having enjoyed the Saturday night, while others emerged with mixed feelings about the event.

      “I’m just trying to please the people,” said Upper Quinn Smith, cohead of the Recreation Committee. Smith tried to create a nightclub vibe for the dance but disdained that it had to be in the Thompson Gym rather than in places like Grainger.

      Lower Kyle Kennedy’s, Co-Secretary of the Executive Board, echoed this sentiment, “We wanted to make sure this dance would be fun, and that people would feel incentivized to go. I think it went very well and was very successful as the first major event for StuCo’s new Executive Board and am looking forward to what is next to come.”

      Upper Advika Verma stated, “I felt like after having the past few weekends of Saturday classes, I wanted this weekend to be a weekend of relaxation.” She further said, “ I’m not a fan of the location, Thompson Gym. I think the Wrestling Room is a top-tier dance location. We’ve had so many dances like this—Thompson Gym, DJ, music. Sure, this time, the dress code was formal, but what’s different about this dance compared to other dances? It’s like, ‘I’ve been to one of these; I don’t need to go again because it’ll be the same thing.”

      “It was very fun. I wanted to go because I thought it would be fun to go with my friends and it’s something to look forward to in spring. My favorite part was jumping up and down close to the speakers,” prep Alyssa Wang states.

      Verma continued, however, “I think, also, generally, dances here are just the same music, the same people jumping up and down.”

      Adding on to Verma’s belief, Upper Hemani Stallard explained, “I think it had so much potential if they just hired a better DJ. The music was horrible. It’s always really awkward when they play a good song, and then they follow it up with five more bad songs, and you’re kind of just sitting there waiting.”

      “I didn’t go to the Spring Formal because I had an event earlier in the day, so when I got back on campus, I was really tired,” lower Sophia Qiu expanded, “I’ve been to previous dances, and they were all about the same, so I thought I’d skip this one and get some rest instead.”

      Upper Aymeric Dauge-Roth summed their words up, “I love how the music is random and unpredictable. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad.”

      “Everything we do with our time comes at a cost. I can go to the dance, but what am I missing instead? In this case, especially at Exeter where the academic train keeps on coming, you have to pick your battles,” lower Sam Altman stated. “Personally, I don’t have a lot of friends that [went] to the dance…so I chose to instead spend my free time doing things with people that I know. Just earlier this evening, I spent twenty minutes going to Stillwells with my friends. It took a lot less time, and for me, it was a lot more fulfilling. With the dance, there are lights, there’s ‘dancing,’ but oftentimes those things are not very fruitful—you kind of just wait around for an awkward social encounter to begin. At a place like Exeter, I’m fairly confident that I can use my time in better ways.”

      However, despite the Spring Formal being disappointing to some individuals, others still appreciated the thrill and entertainment of the dance.

      “I went because there was really nothing to do lately, and because we had a Saturday class the last week, I wanted to do something fun, departure from the regular, go see some friends. I got to see my friends, which was nice, but it was really hot inside and people were just kind of crowded together,” upper Claire Han explained.

      Prep Chloe Lind said, “I went to the Spring Formal tonight because I wanted to de-stress and relax after a very busy week. I thought that the food and activities were really good; also, we hired a DJ from elsewhere and I liked the music. It was just a great way to bond with my friends.”

      “It was a fun way to spend the night,” agreed lower Asha Masoudi.

      “I went to spring formal because it’s fun being with my friends and also the vibes [are good],” prep Crane Lee stated.

      Prep Oluwajoba Okeremi continued, “I wanted a chance to dress formally, which is an opportunity we don’t get a lot at Exeter, and I also wanted to spend time with my friends and eat delicious food.”

      Upper Roy Liu expounded, “I went to the dance because all of my friends were going. I feel like because it was a formal dance, there was a lot more hype about it, a lot more energy.”

      Dances at Exeter always have the stigma of being either having bad music, bad location or just boring in general. “We’re trying to expand our outreach towards the community of Exeter and improve the dances by being unique” Smith said. Coming off of an energetic ending towards the spring formal the future certainly seems bright for the new Recreation Committee.