After an extended weekend due to three snow days, Lakewood High School’s Spirit Week for the annual Snow Ball dance began Jan. 26, culminating in the Jan. 31 event. This year, the student council was inspired by a Lakewood yearbook from the 1980s to refresh the dance’s theme. In a shift from the traditional Winter Formal, the council renamed the event the Snow Ball and designated it a Sadie Hawkins-style dance.
The mid-week snow days forced the cancellation of Monochrome Monday and 2020 Tuesday, but the energy returned for Wacky Wig Wednesday. After the halls were flooded with neon wigs and headwear, the theme was Twin Day Thursday. The week concluded with class colors, a tradition at Lakewood. Freshmen wore black, sophomores yellow, and juniors white. Seniors took their turn in purple, a milestone many find particularly meaningful.
“Class colors have always been one of the biggest traditions leading up to formal, so getting to wear purple as a senior feels really special,” said senior and volunteer Charlotte Reed.
To make the dance even more exciting, a competition for the best Sadie Hawkins proposal was held for free tickets. The girl who had the best proposal would win free tickets to the dance for her and her partner. The winners this year were seniors Sullivan York and Madalyn Jacobs. Jacobs won with her proposal by writing and sculpting “Snowball?” in the snow.
“I was thinking about what would be more unique than just a poster,” Jacobs said. “Because it was a Snow Ball, I thought it would be ironic to do something with snow.”
The momentum continued to build during a Friday pep rally, where winter athletes were recognized and the LHS pep band performed. Once every sport runs onto the gym floor, the student council is in charge of keeping the crowd of students and teachers entertained. The games include bowling, knockout, musical chairs and tug of war. Lastly, the pep rally ended with the junior class getting to pie their teachers after raising funds for their class of 2027.
On Saturday morning, student council members and volunteers transformed the school into a “Winter Wonderland” with blue tablecloths, candles, snowballs and flowers. A poster painted by council member Ruby Fraunfelder, featuring “Snow Ball,” was displayed above the gym entrance. Inside the gym, fairy lights surrounded the gym track, giving a soft glow to the dance floor.
All of these things made by the student council and volunteers contributed to the success of the Snow Ball.
“It’s a good sense of community,” said Sarah Csongei, a senior class advisor and special education teacher. “It’s good to see all the work they put in when they get to the dance.”
The event was organized by the senior class student council and advisors Csongei and Jessica David. All proceeds benefit the senior prom fund. The full concessions at the dance were also open this year, unlike the snack table they used to put out.
“The more concessions we sell, the cheaper prom tickets get to be, so I was really trying to encourage everyone to buy your Snow Ball ticket,” said Student Body President Paisley Norris.
While January through March can feel relentless with the cold weather and the end of the holidays, the unique dance this year boosted morale around Lakewood High School immensely. In the future, hopefully, the high school will keep the new Sadie Hawkins-style Snow Ball for students to enjoy for generations.
