Weeks of hard work by the class of 2020 certainly paid off with plenty of positive feedback on June 1, at the sophomore semi-formal dance.

The annual event took place in the courtyard from 7 p.m.  to 10 p.m., with an “under the stars” theme, and hosted over 130 students accompanied by nine faculty chaperones. The dance was organized by the advisers to the class of 2020, Ashley Yancy and Jenna Dunay, along with the class’s officers and other student volunteers. Supervision by the Glen Rock police, donations by class parents and music and lights by DJs Mark Hilzen (‘18) and Pat Besser (‘18) were also provided. Rain was originally in the forecast, but a clear night was a welcome surprise to those in attendance.

“Everything was pretty much the best-case scenario,” Yancy said. “We anticipated problems and tried to address them head on in advance.”

Between the concessions, well-perceived music and amiable environment, there were many aspects of the dance that left students feeling enthusiastic and positive about the experience. Occasionally in past years, this has not been the case for all students. Many attendees of 2017’s semi-formal thought negatively of the experience.

“It was awkward and boring in the beginning,” Belle Potto (‘19) said. “Towards the end I was really tired and wanted to go home.”

However, many members of the class of 2020 thought very highly of their experience.

“My experience was actually pretty good,” Spencer Lavine (‘20) said. “It was better than I expected and everything went smoothly from the pictures through the dance. Some of the highlights were the songs that had everyone jumping up and down, like ‘Plug Walk,’ even though the teachers tried to stop us for some reason.”

Yancy added on by describing some of the positive feedback provided by students.

“It’s always good to hear from the students themselves,” she said. “Whether it’s positive or constructive feedback.”

To add to the enjoyable experience, a lack of potentially anticipated trouble backed by supervision by the Glen Rock police, prevented significant issues and chaos during the dance.

“Everyone was behaved quite well,” Lavine said. “I don’t believe there were any real issues.”

With the school year approaching its end and big things ahead for the class of 2020, one can hope that the success of the semi-formal is only a signal of things to come.

“I was very proud of our class,” Yancy said. “Overall everyone was well-behaved and seemed to be enjoying themselves.”