STAR-ting off March With a Night to Remember  

• April 7, 2022

Sophomores in Andover High School Have Their First Semi-Formal! 

Grace Wang
STAFF WRITER

Andover High School’s first sophomore semi-formal of the year, Starry Night, was a huge success! Hosted by the Sophomore Board, the event took place on Saturday, March 7. 

Starry Night was a sophomore-exclusive dance filled with food, lights, and music. The semi was held in the cafeteria, completely transformed with cascading lights.  For the first time since COVID-19, students were able to see their classmates’ faces, for the mask mandate was also lifted that same day. 

Kathryn Vives, the teacher advisor of the Sophomore Board, explained that “[the event] was just a social event for the students to get together.” 

In the center of the cafeteria, the DJ played song remixes. To the right, the snack table had an assortment of refreshments including popcorn, cheese puffs, goldfish, candies, chips, and water. Refreshments were included in the price of the ticket. At the entrance, there was a photo wall for anybody that wanted to take pictures and save the memory of the night. Later, photos and videos streamed onto social media platforms, primarily Instagram but also Tiktok. Near the Collins Center side, the cafeteria had a brighter area with tables and balloons where students could relax and talk. However, more students preferred the dimmer side of the cafeteria. 

Many students weren’t sure how the event would go, since many haven’t gone to a school event since COVID-19 began. People didn’t know what to expect of the dance but were pleasantly surprised. AHS sophomore Talia Bisbe commented, “I thought it was going to be really sad and really awkward but there was no room for awkwardness.” AHS sophomore Audrey Haskell added, “I got so many compliments from random people I’ve never even met so that was really nice, and I complimented so many people. So everyone was just, like, having a great time. Overall I think it was worth it.”

The clear star of the show was the lights, which garnered lots of positive attention. Haskell said, “The lights that they had made everyone’s teeth look so white. So that was really hot.” Bisbe continued to hype up the lights. “The lighting was awesome, and the blacklight made my actual outfit glow so I was a literal star on the dance floor,” she said.  

In contrast, opinions on the music were very controversial, and students had a lot to say about the DJ. Some people thought the music was really great while others were more critical. “I don’t like when he played the Squid Game music,” remarked AHS sophomore Molly Borenstein, “but he did play Lil Nas X, and I went down to Lil Nas X.” On the other hand, another student had stronger opinions on the DJ. Haskell stated, “I hated the DJ. I went up to make a song request and he was like, ‘No. This is a playlist.’” 

Nevertheless, Vives emphasized that “the [Sophomore] Board put in a significant amount of work.” The Sophomore Board is a group of students who meet every Friday morning at 7:45 AM with Vives to plan and discuss events for the Class of 2024. Vives stated that students had to first come up with the idea of the dance itself. Then, lots of time and effort was put into organizing the ticket selling schedule at lunch, gathering student opinion via surveys in H-block, and choosing the dance date. Finally, the Sophomore Board members gathered in the cafeteria the night before to decorate the cafeteria with balloons, lights, tinsel, and hanging stars. As the theme of the dance was “Starry Night,” the dance displayed a blue, white, and purple color scheme. 

When asked where the money went, Vives answered, “Any money that we raised for the dance goes to the class. So that money eventually will help with prom costs or other events they want to do next year and eventually for their senior week.”