On Again, Off Again: Winter Formal confuses students

By Margo Moore

A message was recently sent out to parents that the “2022 Golden Gala, a Roaring 20’s Affair” Winter Formal was rescheduled to February 12, 2022, from 8:00pm to 11:00pm. The event was to be held outdoors at Golden West High School.

To enter, participants are required to get a COVID-19 screening test within 72 hours of the dance, with testing opportunities “at each of the four comprehensive high schools through the COVID-19 cottage on campus,” according to VUSD email

How are students receiving their information on the event? Marileigh Coon, ‘25, has a friend who’s in ASB, “Her name is Keira Bixler, and I’ve been hearing stuff from her.”

According to Autumn Batti, ’25, “A lot of my friends are really into school. My friend Chloe Sills is really into school and stuff. She checks on the School Board and everything, so I typically just ask her.”

The possibility of the dance being cancelled is affecting students’ plans in different ways. Some of them are looking to have their own private dances. According to Batti, “Me and all of my friends are still planning on going. It’s our first kind of dance, and we want to experience that and go.”

She continues, “We did have plans for a formal on December 27, but [the school-hosted dance] got announced that [it was] canceled.” Batti goes on about her own group hosting a dance due to the school’s cancellation.

Coon says, “I think we’re going to end up doing a private one on the day that it was originally supposed to happen… I don’t think we’re going to go to a new one.”

Coon also speculates why the dance is being pushed around, “I think it’s because of Covid. I know everybody has to get a test, and obviously test negative before they go.”

Mr. Benjamin Cummings, activity director at Golden West High School, has spoken on the matter of the dance as well. According to him, “We are very excited to be holding winter formal at Golden West High School. The planning and preparation for the events is a communal effort between all of the high school activities directors…”

According to Aston, “it became a group choice to kind of postpone and make sure that we could put on a good event for all of the students attending.”

As it stands, the dance is still set to take place February 12, from 8:00pm to 11:00pm at Golden West High School. A negative COVID test within 72 hours of the event is required and tickets are being sold for $15 per student at the Redwood High School finance center.

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