For the first time in years, Skyline’s WinterFest Dance was set to take place on Saturday, January 28th at 7:00 p.m. Because of a combination of mid-week snow days and projected winter storms, the dance was canceled. It may be rescheduled for a yet-to-be-determined date.
After positive feedback from a survey conducted in 2022, Skyline’s Student Action Senate (SAS) and SAS advisor Anne Bezeau got to work planning WinterFest and the accompanying spirit week and pep rally.
“The two snow days of course really put us behind, along with the impending poor weather conditions for Saturday night,” said Bezeau. “It seemed like the best and safest choice at that point was to cancel.”
“I was pretty disappointed to hear that the dance was canceled, especially given the amount of work we put in,” said SAS member Ava DeBenedet (‘24).
Despite indicated interest by many, student reaction to WinterFest was mixed. “People in our age group seem to be optimistic,” Ben Edlund (‘23) commented on why students initially supported the dance. “We like options.”
The consensus among many students is that the dance would have faced low attendance. “I don’t really want to go if nobody else is going,” said student Owen McKelvey (‘25).
“I feel like it’s not as big of a deal as homecoming or prom and it feels a little forced,” said Edlund.
Despite rumors, the first day of ticket sales neared typical sales put up for the first day of in-person ticket sales for Homecoming. Those tickets will be valid for the rescheduled dance but refunds will also be made available.
“Next year we will look at more of a spring dance option rather than a wintertime one,” said Bezeau. “Each year [snow days] have been the huge Achilles heel to make this a successful dance like Homecoming.”
Note: Lucas Caswell is a president of SAS, the organization that plans and runs WinterFest.
