School dances are much anticipated and well attended at Juan Diego Catholic High School; about 80% of the student body attends them.  But when there is a dance coming up, there is also a lot of pressure to come up with an original way to ask someone to go, and an equal amount of pressure to respond to the invitation creatively.

     Lynelle Williams, Director of Student Activities, oversees all school dances at JD.  She hopes to see some changes in the future with the school dances’ structure to encourage more attendance.

     “I’m moving away from the boy-girl choice,” Williams said.  “[Attending school dances] shouldn’t be dependent on whether or not you have a date. I tell [students] to not worry about asking, and just to go in a group to familiarize yourself with boys and girls hanging out together.”

     Freshman Luke Opitz agrees, and thinks that going in groups could make the dances more fun because students will probably know the people they are spending the night with better.  He says he was very nervous before he asked a girl to Homecoming this year.

     “It sucks to have to think about a creative way to ask [someone] and worry about rejection,” Opitz said.

     But David Alexander, a junior at JD, does not want to change the structure of the dances.   He likes being creative and coming up with fun ways to ask girls.  He thinks changing the boys’/girls’ choice tradition is a bad idea.

     “The whole asking process is really fun for both sides,” Alexander said.  “Getting rid of that would ruin part of the dance experience.  We have plenty of all-school dances as it is.”

     “I have asked [a girl] by getting a white rose and putting it in her locker,” said Alexander.  “[There was] a note attached [to the rose] that said, ‘Roses are red, but this one is white.  Will you be my date on Homecoming night?”

     Freshman Caroline May also agrees with Alexander.  She does not really see why a change would be necessary.

    “I think that girls'/guys' choice dances are fun and a way to reach out to someone you maybe don’t normally talk to,” May said. “It brings us out of our friend groups and binds us better as a whole at Juan Diego.”

     Williams says that she just wants everyone to go to all the dances, regardless of whether or not they have a date.  While she thinks that the “boy-girl asking” is too embedded into high school tradition to change anytime soon, she encourages students to go with groups rather than dates. 

     “Don’t miss any of your dances because of thinking you have to go with someone,” said Williams.  “It’s just a big social gathering for everyone.”