With Oak Park High School’s Spring Fling having passed recently on Mar. 16, discussion about school dances has emerged. School dances, from homecoming to prom, are known as parts of the high school experience. Hundreds of students spend some time away from the stress of schoolwork and sports to dress up with their friends and dance the night away.

Some students go to every dance, while others only go in their senior year, and some never attend any. I believe that to fully experience the joys of adolescence, the parties,  friendship and romance all those high school movies picture, students should attend at least one dance during their high school career.

“I think the best part of dances is just hanging out with your friends, being able to dress up and just have a good time,” freshman Aarshi Chaudhary said.”The friendships you make in high school may not stay forever, so it’s nice to have those memories.”

Today, with the rise of online friends and social media, face-to-face interaction has dwindled. School dances provide a great opportunity for social interactions and meeting people you would have never talked to before.

“When in school, students spend time learning and studying, sometimes also behind a screen. At home, between extracurricular activities and homework, they are checking Instagram stories and streaming the latest episode of Pretty Little Liars,” My School Dance’s Chief Operations Officer Taylor Buckley said. “Most of the time, once kids get to high school, they are no longer having playdates with a variety of friends.”

Furthermore, school dances can provide a much-needed break from a student’s workload. In a study by Jasper Tjaden, Dom Rolando, Jennifer Doty, and Jeylan T. Mortimer, it was found that students spent about eight hours on extracurriculars, nine hours on homework, and two and a half hours hanging out with peers per week. 

It seems that students spend much more time on their studies compared to their relaxation. While I believe that being academically driven and having extracurriculars are conducive to future success, students still need opportunities to have fun. School dances are one of the most exciting ways to get this.

However, school dances also tend to be costly. In a YouGov survey, it was found that thirty-five percent of students spent over $100 on prom. Additionally, the cost of tickets for school dances may be too expensive. Whether paying $40 to dance with a bunch of other students in a crowded gym is worthwhile is up for debate.

Nevertheless, school dances are a great fundraising opportunity. The revenue made from them can be used to fund other school activities for students and student groups, such as end-of-the-year trips and special activities. This rewards students for their hard work, especially students in the music department, ASB, athletics, and so on.

School dances are a great place for students to let go of all of their worries for just a night. They should be a free place for students to dress up, have fun with friends, and express themselves. Especially at OPHS, with so many hard-working students and athletes, school dances are the highlight of high school.

So, I feel like everyone should try and experience a school dance once. You may not like it afterward, but you should definitely give it a shot. There’s a reason that school dances are always in high school movies: they are one of the highlights of the teenage experience.