On Saturday, February 8, 2025, Academic Magnet High School held the annual AMHS Semi Formal Dance, which is the only opportunity for every grade 9th-12th to attend the same dance each year. The event took place in the gymnasium, and many Magnet students believe it had ups and downs. This year’s theme was Fly Me To The Moon. There were two photo/video opportunities at the event: one photo booth-like station and another with a spinning camera to record a video. This video machine was the same machine from last year’s Prom and offered extra opportunities to save memories from this event.

Additionally, this year, food was provided. Some of the food included Chick Fil A nuggets and various sauces. Unsurprisingly, this catering was a standard favorite part of the dance among the students who attended. The actual dance was inside the gym, but various snacks, beverages, and seating areas were placed in the gym lobby for the times when attendees needed a break from the dance in the gym.

I asked some students for their thoughts on the dance and received some highlights and potentially helpful feedback for the dances in the future.

First, the highlights. Many people enjoyed the Chick Fil A that was provided, especially since Chick Fil A can be such a quick and easy snack at events like these. For example, Freshman Paris Hurst said the best part of this year’s Semi-Formal was “the food! I love Chick-fil-A and I filled myself up with nuggets.” It seems like the food was a total hit this year and definitely something to keep for dances in the future.

Additionally, MaKayla Winter and Emelie Norton mentioned that the photos were some of the best parts as well, saying photo features and the photobooth were highlights from the event. One thing I noticed was that there were no long lines, so it was easy to get in and out of the photo booth areas while still having the chance to capture these memories.

Sophomore Nat Wohlfeil enjoyed having time to socialize with his peers at the dance, saying his favorite part was “hanging out with friends and forming closer bonds with these people.” Special dances and events can be rare, so it is especially important to enjoy them and surround yourself with the people with whom you want to spend time! Similarly, Whitney Gwisc said her favorite part was “getting to be with all of my friends and getting ready.” On this same note, someone else said they enjoyed having the chance to get ready with friends and take pictures before arriving for the event.

Another popular highlight was some of the music selections from the night. A few people noted they enjoyed moments like Cotton Eye Joe by Rednex and FEIN by Travis Scott. On the same note, Ailin Norales said they enjoyed “dancing and jumping in the circle with my friends,” while Devon Porter said they enjoyed dancing as well. There were a few dance circle moments this year that a bunch of different people joined in on, including Mrs. Akery!

On the other hand, some students provided some potential room for improvement for events like these in the future.

One of the most common points of feedback was with this year’s DJ. A few people pointed out their displeasure with the DJ talking over the music a little too often, which made the music less enjoyable to dance to. On this same note, a few students did mention how they would have liked a different song selection this year, one writing, “A lot of the songs I didn’t know, but that may just be me.”

The other most notable point of criticism was with the atmosphere in the gym this year. One student said it may have been pulled together better if more people had volunteered and were available to decorate and set up the gym ahead of time. They believe that with a larger group of students decorating, more could be done during the short setup time. Another student provided a suggestion about the setup for the dance, saying, “Add some balloons.” While there were moon beach balls, balloons may have been a positive additional contribution. One other student believes that having a little bit of extra light would have been better since it was pretty dark inside the gym. One other person believed that the atmosphere would have looked a little bit better if they had added lights for decoration into the gym like in previous years to bring the whole vibe and theme together.

Plus, two students want different photo booths in the future, saying they were different from previous years. These students said that they would prefer a traditional photo booth to the stations they implemented this year.

While overall, the Chick-fil-A was a hit for some students at the dance, a handful of students had thoughts about changing the food and drink selection of the semi-formal. They said that they would prefer a larger quantity of juice boxes and potentially extra food options in the future, as well as a larger drink selection at the concessions stand.

One person said that some “people wouldn’t mind paying more for a better experience” in regards to having more decorations, a wider range of food to choose from, and better music to transport students to the respective theme for the year as well as potentially having a more enjoyable experience. This could possibly help with more decorations in line with the annual theme or the extra food and drink choices mentioned above.

Overall, many students believe that this year’s winter semi-formal had some very high points and great aspects, like Chick Fil A and the chance to hang out with friends. On the other hand, however, there seems to be some room for positive changes in the future, like changes in music and additional decorations in the gym. If you attended the semi-formal this year, I hope it was great, and if you are a Junior or Senior, Prom is just a few months away!