High school dances in general are stressful, but Winterfest is where the girl asks the guy; it’s added stress on a girl’s shoulders when she’s already worrying about so many aspects of the dance.

Senior Lucy Mclean knows not only the stress of asking someone to the dance but also waiting to be asked by someone to a dance. There are so many aspects to think about when you want to ask someone, such as the group you’re going with.

“It is [stressful to ask someone to the dance],” Lucy said. “Sometimes, I think it’s stressful because you want a guy to ask you, so you’re waiting for them, but you also want to make sure that you’re going with them. And, figuring out who everyone is going with and trying to get your whole group together [is also stressful].”

Getting a group together for a dance can be hard because you want to go with people you’re friends with, but you also want everyone to have a date and don’t want anyone to feel left out.

Sometimes, girls can feel pressure to have a date to the dance to try and conform to what they feel society is telling them to do, and they’ll ask a guy they don’t really want to go with. This can make the whole experience less fun.

However, freshman Gianna Davidson doesn’t feel any pressure to find a date to the dance. She is planning on going with her friends, and everyone is okay with that.

“None of my friends have a date,” Gianna said, “so I don’t feel like I need to have one.”

There are many aspects about school dances that cause a lot of stress, but there are also many really fun parts. FHC has a lot of traditions for Winterfest that people enjoy. There are many things for people to participate in during the week of Winterfest.

“My favorite Winterfest tradition is probably watching Macho Volleyball,” Lucy said. “I have a lot of my friends that do it, and it’s really fun to watch them.”

The traditions that FHC has for the dance are fun, and it’s a good way for people to do something they don’t get to do every day. However, sometimes, the best part of a dance is just going to the dance.

“[I’m looking forward to] hanging out with my friends and getting to [go to the dance] with them,” Gianna said.

Going to the dance without a date is a very popular occurrence. A lot of people prefer to go with a group of friends. Sophomore Kris Anderson is one of these people: he would rather go with his friends.

However, the downside to going with a group of friends is the stress that is involved in trying to make sure no one is left out. You don’t want anything to ruin your day, but you also don’t want to be spending the day with people you’re not fond of.

“Finding a group is really stressful because there is a lot of drama involved,” Kris said, “and it could potentially make the day less fun.”

Finding a group for Winterfest can be stressful. There could potentially be quite a bit of drama involved, and nobody wants that to ruin their day.

Another part of the dance that is very stressful, especially for girls, is finding a dress. Lucy thinks that this is the most stressful part of the dance because it is difficult to find a good dress that looks nice and fits right.

“[The most stressful part of Winterfest is] finding a dress,” Lucy said. “It shouldn’t be that stressful, yet I’m super short, so when I order dresses, they come in, and they don’t look right. And then you have to go get them fitted. It would be so much more simple if you could buy the same dress and wear it over and over.”

Getting an outfit together for the dance is a stressful part, and also, one of many preparations that go into making the night as flawless as possible. Many things have to happen for the week and the dance to be as great as they are.

Lucy is on Student Council, and they have been planning for all of the Winterfest traditions. Student Council helps to set up the dance and plan and organize the other things FHC does in the week leading up to the dance.

“On Student Council, we all talk about what spirit days we want,” Lucy said, “and then we get people to do snow sculptures, and we get people to do the window paintings. It’s all super fun, little things. Winterfest is not nearly as stressful as Homecoming. Some years, we’ve done a lip dub where we get the whole class together.”

As stressful as the whole experience of preparing for a dance can be, it’s all worth it when you get to have fun at the dance and before. Lucy enjoys the chaos of going to dinner before the dance, and it makes the stress worth it.

“I love going out to dinner with the whole group of people,” Lucy said. “It’s always funny taking pictures, and then you’re running late to dinner, and you have to eat super fast. It makes it more fun and chaotic.”