Rumors have been flying regarding what is going to happen with the annual turn about dance the last month at Pleasant Valley. Finally, the truth has been set.

In the article Turnabout turned around written by Senior Abbey Hancock, student life editor for the spartan shield, Hancock first mentioned the rumors of changing the formal dance into a casual dance that will take place after a basketball game in the winter season. After an interview with principal Mike Zimmer of Pleasant Valley and the teacher supervisor of the social committee, Kathryn Buchter has confirmed that the dance will in fact be casual and take place after a basketball game.

But a question that still remains among students at Pleasant Valley is why they would take away the Turnabout dance seemingly out of the blue this one year? Senior Jamie Trentz stated, “I don’t understand why [administration] got rid of the dance, it was something that many people at the school looked forward to.”

However, the answer to the “why” that so many people are asking is simple. Buchter shared that out of the 1400 students at Pleasant Valley roughly 330 students actually go to the dance. This number is strikingly low compared to the estimated 800 students who attended homecoming last year.

With this number of students attending the dance, the social committee wasn’t even making a profit from the dance. Buchter stated, “students were leaving the dance around 10:30 instead of 11:00.” With the financial cost of a DJ and all the decorations that go into making Turnabout a memorable night, the fact that many people only showed up for about an hour and then left seemed like a waste of money.

The social committee decided the best way to increase student participation would be to make the dance less formal by placing it after a basketball game. “People won’t have to spend so much money since it used to be so close to spring break and prom.” Buchter explained. The Social committee also added that the dance will be more accessible because instead of having to buy tickets student will be able to pay upfront at the door after the game.

While this does seem like a great possible solution, there are some problems that arise. In past years at Pleasant Valley, there was a dance that took place after kickoff that was casual much like the original Turnabout dance. This dance turned out to be very inappropriate and many students abused it to dress inappropriately. This is a main concern that both Zimmer and Buchter see this year as a test trial for the dance and a second chance to see if the students will dress appropriately.

While some seniors are disappointed that one of their last formal dances will be taken away, Zimmer and Buchter believe there are logical reasons why it had to be done and the social committee has taken many steps to try and plan a meaningful and fun night. Zimmer stated, “It’s supposed to be fun. Just come in, have something to do before curfew, have fun at the game and have fun at the dance.” Hopefully, the Turnabout dance coming soon in February will accomplish just that.     

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