Bring Back the Upper School Dance

There hasn’t been a dance in at least 5 years, due to low student interest. That has changed.
 
Commentary 
By Tayiana Kishoiyian
Staff Writer 

Imagine having a great time dancing with your friends to your favorite songs and eating delicious snacks.  
Even though Woodlynde provides students with a lot of fun activities, many students have wanted an Upper School dance for a long time to make school more exciting.

It has been at least 5 years since Woodlynde had an Upper School dance. A dance was scheduled four years ago, but it was canceled due to lack of interest.

Assistant Head of School
Mrs. Shank told the Informer, “I would love to see students have the opportunity to have an Upper School dance. Our students really enjoyed Upper School dances in the past; but several years ago, the interest declined.”

“Students are not going to be excited to attend a dance with 20 to 30 people. They are interested in doing so with 40-50 people-plus. If we could generate that interest, it would be fun for students to have an Upper School dance.”

Hopefully, things have changed since the last time the school tried to organize a dance. The
Informer recently conducted a poll of 80 students in grades 8-11, and 60 of them (75%) said they would go to a dance next year.

Freshman
Kiara Hatton said, “I want there to be a dance. I know that most of my friends [want to go] and it’s a good time to spend with them.”

I believe a dance could happen next year if students help organize it, say that they are going, and don't drop out at the last minute.
 
“HAPPY TO ORGANIZE A STUDENT DANCE”
Learning Specialist Ms. Ball,who is in charge of the student activities program, said she thinks that students could “have a great time” at a Woodlynde dance.


“I’m happy to organize a student dance event with student support, student interest, and access to appropriate facilities with chaperone help,” she said.

There are many reasons why Woodlynde should have an Upper School dance. It would be a great time for kids to have fun with their friends, get to know other students, and dance to their favorite songs.

Woodlynde School would be giving their students a full high school experience. Most Woodlynde kids want to go to a school that feels like other high schools. However, that is hard without a school dance, because that is one of the things high schools are known for.

It’s especially frustrating when you have a sibling in a different school and are always watching them get ready for their school dances, but aren’t able to do the same.

Having been at Woodlynde since 5th grade, I was excited to enter high school and go to school dances, so I was disappointed there haven’t been any.

Having a school dance is fun and it’s a good time to hang out with your friends. One of the fun benefits of having the school dance is taking pictures with your friends and even posting them on Instagram.
 
TEENS NEED TO SOCIALIZE MORE
According to myschooldance.com, it is very important for students to socialize.

According to The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 32 percent of adolescents have a diagnosed anxiety disorder.    

As a result of this, they feel more comfortable communicating over their screens, spending up to 9 hours on average, according to myschooldance.com.

For teens to socialize more, they need additional chances to build those skills, like a school dance.

In addition, during the school year, students don’t always get to see their friends that often. They may not have classes with them and transportation may not always be available to hang out on weekends. So having a planned dance could really help socially.

Having a school dance is also physically healthy. Going home and watching Netflix while eating a box of brownies is really tempting, but having a dance is a better and healthier way for teens to spend their evening.

According to
betterhealth.gov, studies have shown that dancing is for people of all different shapes and sizes, and is actually good for conditioning the heart and the lungs.  

With the help of students, Mrs. Shank, and Ms. Ball, I believe that a school dance could happen next year and that we will all have a great time.
 
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Woodlynde School is a private, co-ed college prep day school located in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that serves intelligent, talented students with learning differences in grades K - 12. Woodlynde provides a comprehensive, evidence-based Kindergartenelementarymiddle and high school program in a challenging yet nurturing environment for students with average to above average cognitive abilities (IQ) who have language- or math-based learning differences (such as Dyslexia, Dysgraphia or Dyscalculia), Executive Function Challenges, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or Auditory Processing Disorder. Even for those students without a diagnosed learning disability (LD), Woodlynde offers expert and caring teachers in small classroom settings that support academic success. Woodlynde School also offers a post-graduate (PG) program in partnership with Rosemont College as well as a regional Summer Camp for students who learn differently.