Plans for a winter formal dance have been canceled by Riverside’s Student Government Association (SGA). According to SGA, the winter formal is postponed indefinitely.
“Originally the kids wanted a dance because we didn’t do a homecoming dance,” said SGA teacher advisor Gabrielle Minnick.
SGA released a poll on their Instagram story to decide whether the theme should be “enchanted forest” or “city at night.” Other than that, no other official announcements regarding the formal were released.
As the originally scheduled date of the dance – January 21 – approached, no information about the dance was released. Soon, rumors that the winter formal was canceled began to circulate.
There are a few reasons why the dance could not go on, similar to those of the homecoming dance, according to SGA leadership.
“Basically, we didn’t have enough funding as a club,” says co-student body president Riley O’Connor.
O’Connor and Minnick said insufficient funding was the primary reason SGA postponed the dance, but there are plans to raise more money for next year, such as dine-outs.
“Our main focus for the rest of the year is for funding,” says O’Connor. “SGA’s goal is to have smaller events that require less funding.”
Minnick also said SGA began planning the event in the fall, but there were not enough meetings scheduled to get everything ready.
“The time of year didn’t work out just with break, then there were exams when we got back, so it was hard to decorate and everything like that,” says Minnick. “It’s gonna cost money, so fundraising, making sure that there are decorations, just a lot of planning to get that kind of stuff done.”
SGA says that it is unlikely that there will be another dance this year besides prom.
Student reactions to the news have been varied. Riverside has not had a homecoming dance since 2019, and some were excited to attend a dance other than prom. Others had no idea that a formal was being planned.
“We didn’t advertise it, so unless you are in SGA most people wouldn’t know about it,” said Minnick.
Although Senior Elijah Clark wasn’t excited for winter formal, he said he would have gone and worn a red suit.
“Winter formal? I mean, it’s not that serious to me,” Clarke said.
Some students had already bought outfits, and others were just disappointed that a second dance in a row had been canceled. With students of all grades welcome to attend, it would have been more accessible than prom.
Freshman Rea Agborbesong knew about the formal by looking at the Riverside calendar and later hearing from a teacher.
“I talked to my world history teacher about it, and she said we were supposed to have one, but the planning didn’t go well,” said Agborbesong. “I felt excited because it’s my first year and I’ll get to meet and interact with people.”
Taliyah Cooper, Isabelle Abadie, Thomas Romano, and Sadie Irby contributed to this story
