Flashing lights, a great DJ, two video screens, glow sticks and over 300 kids – these are the components that made Walpole high school’s Friday night dance a smash hit.
The weeks leading up to the dance were filled with urgent advertisements requested by Mr. David St.Martin – who coordinated the dance – on the Walpole High School morning news. Senior, Mike Millien even had a cameo guaranteeing students who went to the dance that they would magically acquire the moves of the late, great Patrick Swayze. In addition to these daily advertisements, St.Martin went around the cafeteria promoting his dance as “the greatest dance party of all time” and encouraging every table to buy some tickets and try out this new type of dance.
The bulk of the tickets were sold between Wednesday and Friday at lunch and approximatley 70 tickets were sold at the door. “I think when kids relaized that this dance might actually be something fun they all started to buy their tickets and told their friends” said St. Martin, “The dances I used to coordinate at Catholic Memorial were more etsbalished, but at Walpole this kind of dance was a new thing, kids needed to try it out”
Unlike the Walpole High School’s previous dances this dance was informal and took place in the gymnasium. With the relocation of the dance – usually taking place in the cafeteria or in a formal hall – students were given more room to spread out without leaving the room feeling awkwardly empty. Club T’s sound system, DJ, mega-screens and lighting transformed our bland gymnasium into a miniature dance club for the night and the gym quickly filled with sweaty but happy teenagers. Girls didn’t even have to worry about finding a new dress for the dance due to the general informal atmosphere of the dance. This new overall laid back attitude made students feel more comfortable and set the night up for sucess.
With help from the Walpole cops, faculty and some parent volunteers the dance was safely chaperoned but did not feel overbearing. “They treated us like high school students” said junior Mike Siteman “that was the best part; no one was breaking up the dancing.”
The night passed without a flaw, and everyone was more than pleased with the way things turned out, many leaving the auditorium with excited chatter about the prospect of another dance in the spring. Mr. St.Martin’s guarantees of “the greatest dance party of all time” were without a doubt fulfilled as he got cheers and applause from the student body as they slowly and reluctantly poured out of the gym at around 10:40 that night.
Not only were the students pleased with the way the dance went on Friday night, but Mr. St.Martin – who previously coordinated the CM dances – was estatic about the high attendance. With the solid turn out of Walpole High’s first “Welcome Back” dance there is a good chance that St. Martin will be hosting another one in the near future. Reminiscent of the middle school Blackburn Hall youth connection dances, Walpole High students now have a more mature environment to “bust a move”.
To view pictures from Walpole’s “Welcome Back Dance” you can go to: http://www.clubt.com/EventPictures/WHS09182009/index.htm
