Dance attendees pose for a group picture. Photo provided by Lora Morgenstern.
The Winter Dance took place on January 13th in the cafeteria, with proceeds going to St. Jude’s Hospital. According to Ms. DePaula, Coordinator of Student Activities, the event was planned after the success of the Homecoming Dance, which indicated that there was a desire for similar events. Mr. Alvear, along with his Leadership classes and Student Government, planned the dance, which was attended by approximately 250 students.
Many students enjoyed having the opportunity for the dance given how busy they have been this year. “[The dance] was very fun and I enjoyed the opportunity that rarely comes around as either I or my friends are typically busy to have frequent gatherings like that,” said student Sophia Naciri. “The event was a nice way to offer the student body and myself an opportunity for some fun during a very stressful month,” she added.
Naciri was not the only student who enjoyed the event. Devin Wong, another student in leadership, said that “the event was a great way for friends to bond and really take their minds off of school. This dance was really refreshing as we all previously experienced remote learning. We didn’t have special opportunities like these to really have fun as a school,” said Wong. This is especially true for the sophomores at Fort Hamilton, and even for the juniors and seniors whose opportunities to build community at Fort Hamilton were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and a year and a half of remote and blended learning.
Leadership looks forward to holding another dance in the spring term and offering more opportunities for students to come together. Likewise, many of the students in leadership also greatly enjoyed the event, alongside their friends.
“Talking to students throughout the night was the best part for me, as [Leadership] are always looking for feedback from our students to help guide us as we look ahead to the spring term and next year,” commented the Activities Coordinator, Mr. Alvear.
“The greater the response from our students, the more events we’ll continue to plan”, he added. Ms. DePaula agreed: “If students ever have ideas they want to share with us please feel free to email [email protected].”
