The majority of public schools in the United States hold two school dances per year, one in the spring and one in the winter. For Forest Hills Central High School, our fall dance is Homecoming, and a way to celebrate our football season. Homecoming comes with a parade, assemblies, and events that build even more hype. Homecoming is not only a dance—it’s a crowning event of the year.
On the other hand, Winterfest, our winter dance, has no clear purpose. Perhaps that’s why its attendance seems to dwindle each year. When speaking with classmates, many share the same opinion: Winterfest is not worth going to. Winterfest is “lame,” and sadly, I agree with them.
I love Winterfest, but compared to the spectacular event that is Homecoming, it just seems dull. It’s not like Winterfest has no lead-up or publicity; it comes with perks, just like Homecoming. Winterfest has a student Court, a spirit week, Macho volleyball, and a student-led lip sync dance. What seems to be lacking from these events is the community, which is extremely noticeable during Homecoming week.
The stigma surrounding Winterfest has grown considerably to the point that, as a school, we lack both spirit and expectations for Winterfest. There are no butterflies or build-up towards Winterfest, as everyone seemed to decide it doesn’t deserve it. The dance itself is much smaller than Homecoming, leading to a lackluster event that only multiplies the stigma.
Winterfest does not deserve this stigma. From some aspects, Winterfest could be considered better than Homecoming. Winterfest brings in a fresh take on the student Court, allowing them to create and present a humorous performance to the student body, making their part much more interactive than Homecoming’s court. Winterfest brings a fresh light to an otherwise dreary time in students’ lives, when the weather is cold, school has grown old, and exams are on the way, yet summer is hopelessly far. However, this placement might be working against it.
With students preoccupied with many other activities and not having the same fuel that a fresh summer gave Homecoming attendance, it’s not too surprising that Winterfest is overlooked. Instead of viewing Winterfest as an inconvenience during an otherwise busy time, as a school, we should see it as an opportunity to relax and celebrate how far we’ve come through the school year. While in theory, this sounds great, in practice, it is much less so.
Convincing an entire school of teenagers that something they’ve been told endless times is “lame” is a challenge. However, I believe that as a school, if we change our viewpoint on Winterfest and go into it with the same eagerness that one brings to Homecoming, we can make Winterfest just as fun, or even more so. We don’t have to go in with amazing expectations, but if we go in without negative ones, an increased positivity towards the event can go a long way.
Winterfest is something that I personally look forward to each year. Dressing up, taking pictures with my friends, dancing, and hanging out late into the night are things I love, whether for Homecoming or Winterfest. Judging my Homecoming attendance, I assume others enjoy all the little things that come with dances, and if so, Winterfest deserves the same attendance.
