When plans were being made for a casual Homecoming dance last fall, students and parents voiced their desire for a more formal event where students could dress up and roll out all the charm and manners that they possessed.  The PTO at GCHS decided that they would be willing to help bring the wishes for a more formal event to life with a semi-formal event. “Ice, Ice Baby” was the first semi-formal dance to be held at GCHS on February 15th, 2020. 

The cafeteria was transformed for the evening with the help of GCHS teacher Lynn Fiechter and her mother, Connie Ormsby.  Mrs. Ormsby is a professional event planner, and with her help, the stage was set. Curtains were constructed to hide the entrances to the cafeteria lines to make the space more sophisticated, the ceiling was draped with white gauze, and tables were adorned with icy silver centerpieces to coordinate with the theme.  

Approximately 140 students, many freshmen and sophomores that are unable to attend prom, gathered for an evening of fun and danced to music provided by DJs Michael and Conner Crisp.  Classic line dances like the “Electric Slide” and the “Macarena” got students up out of their chairs and onto the dance floor. One interesting request of the evening was “The Wheels on the Bus,” but students made their way to the dance floor to sing and do all the movements of this well-loved childhood song.  The bottom line was that students were willing to be silly and enjoy each other’s company.  

Freshman Katie Feeback attended “Ice Ice Baby” with a group of her friends and enjoyed the event.   She said “I enjoyed getting together with some friends that I don’t usually get to see.”  

This is a year where we have often heard the phrase that “Traditions Start Here.”  The hope is that the winter semi-formal will become an annual tradition that the students can enjoy, and like any new event, changes will be made to improve it and make it better for students so that more want to attend.  One area to improve is to make students aware that the event was scheduled. Feeback commented “I didn’t see or hear a lot about the dance. I only heard about it because one of my friend’s knew about it. I think it we made a bigger deal out of it beforehand, we would get a better turnout and have even more fun.” 

Discussions have already taken place about how this event can grow, including adding the crowning of an ice queen and ice king.  Feeback also recommended having students work together to build a playlist for the DJ ahead of time, so that the music played is what the student’s really want.  “We need lots more well-known dance songs like “YMCA” or “The Cupid Shuffle,” explained Feeback. “Those are the songs that make us want to get up and go dance.”