Winter Formal, arguably one of the largest school events, was hosted on Friday, Feb. 16 at the Dana Point Ocean Institute. It’s a significant memory for countless UHS students and provides a fun opportunity to dress up and spend time with friends. Winter Formal is planned around a new theme each year, requiring significant efforts for artwork and promotional materials. The Junior Classical League (JCL) at UHS is responsible for much of this creative work behind the scenes.
The preparation behind the Winter Formal can be best described as grueling — starting in December and carried out by an expansive team of 30 JCL board members. This process requires the accounting of various moving components, which include the theme, a promotional dance for the pep rally, murals, court nominations, decorations and the three-week scavenger hunt.
Such planning is led primarily by JCL’s consuls, or Co-Presidents Christopher Burke and Miles Hexun. One of the best examples of JCL working together is in the decision-making process of the Winter Formal theme. The theme selection takes three weeks of brainstorming, presenting and debating until a final vote is made by the board. This year’s decided theme was the film “Titanic,” which was incorporated into the various aspects of the dance.
In the scavenger hunt, for example, students had to search for the “Heart of the Ocean,” a significant necklace featured in “Titanic.” The decorations were also focused on ocean themes, mirroring the venue’s ideal location. Other decorations made by the JCL Board include hanging jellyfish, a Titanic bow and several murals featuring iconic moments from the movie. The decorations are made through several workshops, many of which were organized by junior and JCL Artistic Commissioner Keira Choe.
“All of this couldn’t be done without the help of our JCL members coming to workhouses and consistently taking time out of their day to make Winter Formal a more enjoyable experience for everyone,” Choe said.
The hard work that JCL dedicates to the making of the Winter Formal is extremely crucial for the atmosphere of the dance. Because of its student-run nature, Winter Formal allows students to take charge of their high school moments in ways that a teacher-run event wouldn’t allow.
“Though it may be weird to see the Latin Club plan a school-wide event, members of JCL are truly UNI students first, and are part of many other diverse groups here at school,” Hexun said.
The process of planning the Winter Formal can be a daunting and often challenging process for several reasons, one of which is a lack of time.
“My least favorite part would be the time crunch,” Choe said. “It can be a bit overwhelming to prepare these large decorations in such a short amount of time.”
Another difficulty is the coordination between JCL and faculty or organizations. To spread the word about the Winter Formal event, a lot of communication has to be done between several student groups.
“Not only do I have to account for the opinions of everyone in JCL, but also teachers, [the Associated Student Body], Univision, event directors and the venue head,” Hexun said.
Despite challenges in the planning process, many find that being a part of the JCL Board is a very rewarding experience, especially when seeing all of their hard work come to life.
“My favorite part of the process has to be seeing how my peers react to our hard work on the night of the dance,” Hexun said.
The themes, decorations, music and art all reflect the voices of the many high school students who wished to make an impact. It allows not only for a wonderful event but for a club to create something special together.
“I truly enjoy working with and being a part of the JCL community,” senior Elizabeth Choi said. “Planning Winter Formal together makes our bond even more special.”
