Nashoba throws about three dances each year: Homecoming, Winter Ball and Spring Fling. Each grade throws these dances to raise money for their class. Juniors host the Winter Ball to raise money for their Prom and the Freshmen and Sophomore classes put on the Spring Fling dance. The big question here is: why do the dances have such a poor turn out?

This year for Homecoming, Nashoba had a “neon” themed dance. Student council wanted this event to have an awesome turnout and hoped everyone would have a great time. This dance had a casual bright color attire dress code.

Nashoba students had great things to say about the Neon Dance. “Neon was the best dance Nashoba has had,” says Ethan Hill, a Freshman here at Nashoba.

“Student Council wanted this dance to be different and most importantly, revolutionary” (theregional.org).

The Neon Dance was really the only successful dance in the school besides Junior prom. The most recent dance held at Nashoba was the Winter Ball on February 27, 2015. On this day, there was also a boys basketball playoff game going on up the ramp. The dance went from six to eleven, and included an all-you-can-eat buffet topped off with a chocolate fountain! What kid doesn’t like food?

The students had an option of paying five dollars for a ticket to eat and come back to the dance after the game. The basketball game was jam-packed with loud student fans in the stands. When the game was over, the place cleared out, but not a lot of students went down to the lower gym to check out the dance or see what the atmosphere was like.

The Winter Ball had “empty space” says Anna Traverse, a freshman that attended the dance with a group of friends. “I wish more people went to fill in the empty space. If more people went, the more fun it would have been,” Traverse says.

The themes of the dances are what make or break the attendance. Kids are either interested or not. Twenty percent of the students at Nashoba dislike formal dances, excluding Prom. Neither boys nor girls like getting all dressed up. Preparing for a formal dance usually requires buying a new dress, or a new tie. When kids hear the word “formal,” they automatically decide not to attend. A theme like Neon or something fun and casual will interest high schoolers more than something formal.

Most students claim that they don’t go to dances because “none of my friends go”.

“Students don’t realize that hosting these school dances raises money Prom, Senior banquet and even a Senior trip,” says Mr. Emerson. That is why Class Advisors and Student Council push these dances. What is better than going to a school dance? Most kids are home, either texting on their phones or watching Netflix.

“Nashoba just needs to show how much fun dances can be. That will make kids will start coming,” says Jack Meilleur. Having more dances like the Neon would make more students come.