The tradition goes, the first middle school dance, the Boogie Bash, is back again in the junior high gym. This year’s dance wouldn’t have commenced without the eighth grade student council’s preparations.

When the attendees walked in, they showed their tickets and opened the doors dressed in their Halloween costumes. In front of them were many treats, gluten, dairy, and peanut free to accomodate any potential trickery.

To the left, many Halloween themed lights and spider webs hung from the walls. As they slowly made their way deeper down to the middle, students found the dance floor, complete with dark stage lights and spooky music.

Before the night began, the eighth grade student council got together to prepare the event, setting the whole thing up within a half hour. They used materials from the previous Boogie Bashes such as chairs, folding tables and tarps. There was also a parent decoration crew that came together to help set up and contribute new items added to the dance.

“My dad’s got these cool lights that he uses for his Halloween display, And I’m pretty sure we’re gonna bring those in, so we’re going to have these lights going on,” Caroline Lovelance ‘26, said.

The student council team of 15 split up into 5 groups: the set-up group, the chaperone coordination group (who made sure chaperones were in the right place), costume judges, and those in charge of the music, along with over 100 parent volunteers, who helped with ticket sales, bringing candy/food and chaperoning, as well as cleanup.

This was a whole new experience for the 7th and 8th grade parents, as it’s their first time helping out with a junior high event like this.

“It is such a big thing and we really rely on the parent association, so a big thank you to them because without them,” Stephenson said. ‘This would be really hard to pull off because it’s literally just all donated stuff and parents and community members and students helping us.”

Upon entering, there was a photo booth to the right where attendees could have their pictures taken in costume. As the dance began, students then had an hour-long period to approach the DJ and tell them their name and costume. The four members of the student council came together and decided who would win the gift cards. The name of the winner for each category was announced at 8:20, and as many prizes as possible were given.

The eighth grade student council has been thinking about how they wanted to execute the Boogie Bash since the summer. Watching the Boogie Bash come to life has electrified the student council.“I’m really excited to finally get to do this, and I hope it’s a great time for everyone and that we can provide…some fun and an experience that a lot of people haven’t gotten to have in a while because of COVID or have never had,” Caroline Lovelance, ’26 said.