On August 30, 2024 Westview hosted a “Back to School” dance for students. The dance was broken up into 3 time slots so that students in grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 could each safely enjoy their dance. Tickets to attend were sold in advance at $5 each and at the dance there was a professional DJ to play music as well as concessions sold at an additional cost.
Elijah L., student reporter for WNP, went and interviewed several students and faculty during the dance to see how people felt. Some feedback from students included Kindergarteners Nia H. saying “the dance is popping!” Catryn R. saying “we know all the songs [the DJ is playing].” However not all enjoyed their time, 4th grader Kavieon P. said that he did not like the music and 5th grader Elijah I. agreed with disliking the music and added that he didn’t like wearing a wristband. Overall, the consensus was that students enjoyed their time at the school dance as well as the location. 5th grader Zorai’ah B. says that “I like it in the gym” and feels that the music followed all the “latest trends.” In Middle School, 8th grader Jordan K. wishes that the concession stand took Cashapp rather than only real cash, but said that the food offered was “good” and the dance overall was “cool.”
Feedback from faculty who attended the dance included Guidance Counselor Ms. Calhoun saying that “I think it’s a great dance, we need to have more like it” and for improvement she suggested having more food options available for purchase. Instructional Coach Ms. Jefferson added that, “the dance is really fun” but that many students were running around which is an area of improvement that could be made. Middle School Teacher Ms. Perkowski agrees about students needing to be more cautious during the dance as she was knocked over due to students not being aware of their surroundings, but also says that the DJ did a “great job playing music that middle school students enjoy.” Middle School Teacher Ms. Edwards says that, “I think the dance is a great way to incentivize students and promote good behavior” she did not have any feedback for improvements to future dances.
This dance benefitted multiple school groups including Beta Club, Cheerleading, Athletics, and Sunshine Committee. After speaking with Westview Bookkeeper Mrs. Smith the dance raised $1096 for Beta Club, $1340 for Cheerleading, $244 for the Sunshine Committee, and about $600 for Athletics. These numbers do not reflect concessions that were sold at an additional cost and the DJ rental was also a $200 payout.
