Spring formal 2019

​For many Simon’s Rockers, the Spring Formal acts as their only chance to attend a prom or school dance, although it is unlike any other high school formals. Instead of uncomfortable dancing and limos, the formal night at Simon’s Rock was more about dressing up and having a memorable night with friends, whether that means parading around Crosby wearing an elegant dress or suit, having a night-in, watching movies on your friend’s computer, or dancing at the Egremont Country Club under a disco and flashing lights. There was a way for everyone to celebrate this special night. Excitement and anticipation could be felt in the air.

According to the number on your ticket, students were instructed to meet at the Kellogg Music Center where a yellow school bus would be awaiting their arrival. Before students left for the event, they posed on the steps of Kellogg for their pictures to be taken by friends or sometimes Valerie.

After a 15 minute drive, students arrived at the Egremont Country Club. On the way to the dance floor, you walked through a doorway decorated with metallic tinsel and gold balloons. The photo booth was decorated with black and gold balloons and the table tops were covered in maroon table cloths. The theme was Venetian Carnival or what most people referred to as masquerade. Some people wore elegant masks and ballgowns to match the theme, whereas others showed up in jeans and a colorful blazer. Most people would agree that there was a large spectrum of attire and a lot of room for interpretation when it came to dressing for the theme.

The night kicked off with some single hits from the early 2000s. Throughout the night, the DJ tended to switch between 90s hip hop to BTS to Billy Joel and then suddenly to "Cotton Eyed Joe."  Because of this, he quickly became very unpopular among the crowd of college students, who mostly complained that he played too much of one type of song before switching to the next. Nonetheless, he kept us guessing. The crowd’s dance habits fluctuated; sometimes the dance floor was packed and full of energy and sometimes there was only one person who had been left to dance by themselves.

As people filed out into the lobby, there was a large display of hors d'oeuvres and to the left, there was a table full of non-alcoholic beverages. To the right, there was a group of guys that appeared to be playing poker. In the center of it all, there were a basket and a large sign which read, “Vote for the prom court!” Beside the basket, there were slips of paper asking you to fill out who you thought should be voted King, Queen, Prince, and Princess. This was the epitome of popularity contests, but we all indulged in the idea because why not? Later that night, we listened to Brandon as he announced the winners. Fanta Ballo was Prince, Lena Weymouth was Princess, Jonathan Cadiz was Queen, and Mario Campbell was King. They were given crowns and forced to dance together for one song as we all watched ‘awing’ and ‘oooing’. This is not when the night ended, but people started to dwindle off and soon there were only eight of us and Brandon and the DJ of course. We took the last two shuttles back to campus and that was the real end. It was 11:40 and 4/20 was almost over and for some of us that made us very sad.

Khalilah Asaka

Khalilah is The Cad's beloved Master Transcriber.