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By Mary Geyer

Some of the highlights of a Collegiate Upper School student’s year are the school dances. Throughout the year, there are traditionally three dances organized by the Upper School.

One group costume at the 2023 Oddball dance. Photo courtesy of Collegiate’s SCA Instagram.

First is Oddball, which usually falls within three weeks of Halloween. Oddball is a dance that students typically attend with friends wearing Halloween costumes that are either individual or coordinated as a group. Prizes are given out for the best costumes. One feature of Oddball is that the music is usually provided by a DJ, as opposed to a live band, and the dance is typically held in Centennial Hall, the Lower School cafeteria.

After that is Homecoming, which falls around November and other Homecoming activities. Traditionally, this is a dance that students attend with dates, although it is not required, and some students go with groups of their friends. There is a live band, a theme, and McFall Hall, the Upper School cafeteria, is decorated. The Homecoming dance is usually the final event of Spirit Week, leading up to the crowning of the Homecoming King and Queen. 

Finally, there is Prom in April. This dance is usually held at a venue outside of school. One year Prom was held at the Science Museum of Virginia, and this year’s Prom was held at the Tuckahoe Woman’s Club. This is also usually a dance that people attend with dates, and it usually features a live band. Contrary to Oddball and Homecoming, where all four grades are invited, Prom is only available to Juniors and Seniors. All three dances provide different experiences throughout a student’s years in Upper School.

Results of the Match survey asking about Collegiate students’ favorite dances.

In a Match survey of Upper School students, we asked students about their favorite dance, and if we should add, remove, or keep the number of Upper School dances. Among the 93 survey participants from all four grade levels, Oddball won as the favorite dance, capturing around 40.9% of the vote, followed by Homecoming, and finally Prom. However, after filtering out the Freshman and Sophomores, who are not invited to attend Prom by themselves, Oddball and Prom were close to being tied, with Prom having a slight lead. Homecoming was the least favorite dance among upperclassmen by a large margin (16.3% of the vote). My preferences also lineup with these results. My favorite dance is Oddball, then Prom, then Homecoming.

Through my own experiences and conversations with my friends, I am not surprised by the results of the survey that Oddball is the most popular among all four grades. One reason for this might be that there is no pressure to bring a date. SCA and the school encourage everyone to attend both Homecoming and Prom either with or without a date. However, for the dances that are typically attended with dates, asking, or being asked, tend to lead to feelings of anxiety, especially for underclassmen.

After attending Prom for the first time last month, I think that the main reason for Prom being so popular with upperclassmen is the feeling of exclusivity that comes with the underclassmen not being invited. For Freshmen and a Sophomores, hearing older students and faculty talk about Prom can lead to a feeling of excitement and anticipation greater than that of Oddball or Homecoming.

When Upper School students were asked if they would like to add, remove, or keep the same number of dances, the vast majority, 62.4% of students, said that they would like to add a dance. This was followed closely by keeping the number of dances the same. I think that this is because school dances give students something to look forward to, and they are an opportunity to bond with the Collegiate community in an environment where everyone is included. In the comments section of the survey, one comment that was frequently repeated was that the gap between Homecoming and the next dance (either Prom or Oddball, depending on your grade) is too long, and winter feels empty. One Freshman, Leek Leek (’27), said, “I feel like each grade should have at least 3 dances (including 9th Grade). In freshman year, the stretch between the last dance (Homecoming) and the next dance (Oddball) was insurmountable.” However, given that Freshmen have the ability to attend the least amount of dances, this could be a factor in this student’s comment.

Collegiate dances bring the community together through a shared experience, regardless of how well the dances are liked. It is an event to look forward to during the long school year and in between winter, spring, and summer break. While it might not be necessary to add a fourth Collegiate planned dance, the popularity of the idea of adding a fourth Collegiate dance demonstrates a need for more school events. 

Featured image courtesy of the Tuckahoe Woman’s Club.