As always, Winter Ball is greeted by many anxious girls who have just finished their mid-terms and are possibly getting tired of the winter and cold. Winter Ball serves as an event to make the dull month of January a little more excited and anticipated. Girls are buying dresses, shoes, accessories, tickets, and for many, finding dates. Meanwhile, our very own Winter Ball branch of the Student Council is secretly planning, arranging, and designing the overall outlook of the extravaganza. They make up the themes, decide on decorations, a date, time, and ensure that the night runs smoothly for all that attend. Each theme the Student Council has used left lasting impressions, whether they were favorites or perhaps fell short of expectations.
Emily Grugan, a Padua graduate of the class of 2006, remembers the 2005 Hawaiian Luau. The decorations consisted of Tiki torches around the cafeteria. They also had grass table skirts, like the ones Hula dancers wear. To top it off, each guest received glow sticks. People thought it was different and cool because it was more of a summer theme in the winter. Emily’s senior year, 2006, was a Midnight in Paris theme. Emily and Mr. Leizear built a ceiling high Eiffel Tower, made entirely out of cardboard that they linked together. There were also stars on the wall, and berets around the room. She said, “The decorations really made it special because it didn’t feel like we were in the cafeteria. It was magical.”
More recently, however, was the 2009 “Frost Yourself,” based on the movie, “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days“ Overall, it fell short of most people’s expectations because many thought the decorations were “minimal.” On the contrary, the 2010 theme was “Masquerade” which was a huge improvement from the previous year’s theme. It had large drapes framing the cafeteria, where the walls were draped in a repeated red and black pattern. In addition, there were masks hanging up around the cafeteria that very much added to the “masquerade” atmosphere. 2011’s theme was a pretty sweet theme, no pun intended. The theme, “One Sweet Night” was a huge hit for everyone. The colors were white, silver, and pink and this time there were sections of drapes and the centerpieces were candy bowls. Candy such as starbursts, M and M’s, and Jolly Ranchers were laid out all over the tables for anyone to take. While the DJ used to be stationed on the stage, he was conveniently placed in front of the balloon den. Alana Whitmarsh, part of the Winter Ball committee this year, said, “It was a much better idea to put him there.” She also said that, “the themes definitely got better through the years.”
