With the decline in recent attendance, PV’s social committee made the executive decision to discontinue the spring formal dance, previously known as turnabout.
The spring formal was typically hosted during the last week of February or first week of March . The semi-formal dance more casual than that of homecoming or prom, turnabout has provided an opportunity for students to dress up and get out of the house in the midst of winter.
While not one of the cornerstone dances associated with the typical high school experience, the spring formal has provided a fun event during the middle of winter for students to get out and enjoy. “I think the spring formal is nice for freshmen and sophomores because it gives them something else to look forward to in the middle of the school year. I did plan on going this year and I’m very upset that it’s canceled,” junior Kailee Wilson said.
The revenue from the spring formal has typically been put toward paying for the expenses of prom. Unfortunately, in recent years, the average attendance of the dance has been on a steady decline, essentially wiping out the profits for prom.
So much so, the spring formal was actually cutting into the prom budget. “Luckily, we’ll be able to spend more on prom since it won’t share a budget with the spring formal,” senior social committee representative Addie Judd said.
The cancellation of the dance may be unfortunate, but what can be viewed as a positive of the situation is the possibility of the reduced cost of prom and after prom tickets. “Prom is already so expensive. I would much rather have no spring formal and cheaper prom and RAP tickets if that is possible. Overall, I think having no spring formal would be worth it if it makes prom cheaper,” Wilson said.
It is neither confirmed nor denied if the cancellation of the spring formal dance will reduce prom prices for students. But considering the rising prices of prom in the past few years, this could be a fair exchange to help students out and balance funding.
The discontinuation of the spring formal comes as a disappointment to many, but the decline of an already minimally-attended dance forced the PV social committee’s hand on the matter. Fortunately, the absence of the dance may provide a higher-quality prom for upperclassmen in May.
