As a crisp autumn transitions into the cold and seasonal winter, excitement stirred in the air for Foothill Technology High School’s (Foothill Tech) annual Winter Formal. Titled “A Journey to the Northern Lights” and held at the Camarillo Air Force Hangar, the dance theme coordinated to the “around the world” motto for this school year. The event was held on Dec. 3, 2022, from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., hosted by the Associated Student Body (ASB). 

Tickets began to sell on Nov. 21, 2022, and continued to sell until Nov. 30, with cheaper tickets for the students who made an earlier purchase. Tickets were not available at the door on the night of the event, and to gain entrance attendees had to show their student ID.

The winter formal was the first formal dance of the school year, allowing students to get dressed up and look nice. Emma Anderson ‘26 appreciates this aspect, saying, “I think everybody loves to get dressed up a little bit.”

As the dance started, students flooded into the air force warehouse, which was decorated all around to match the theme and even featured real aircrafts. Student guest ‘26 said, “They did really well on the decorations. I was impressed by the flower arrangements and the tables.” 

At the entrance of the hangar, students were able to check their belongings so they didn’t have to worry about them during the night. ASB students checked them in and out so nothing was lost. 

To ensure that no one was left with nothing to do, the dance had a variety of activities to participate in such as foosball, video games, pictures in the photo booth and dancing. A refreshment station and food table was also provided for thirsty and hungry students. 

The dance floor was the most exciting part of the night, with lots of energy and enthusiasm from the students crowded together. Crowd surfing was very popular throughout the evening, but it was not taken lightly by the ASB advisor Melanie ‘Captain’ Lindsey, who threatened to shut down the dance if it did not stop. The students had an immature reaction to this, booing her, but the safety of the students was put first in the end. 

The DJ was a major hit of the dance, playing popular songs for the students’ age group, and mixing in different genres of music, but not everybody enjoyed what he played. Anderson ‘26 explains this saying, “It’s not really my taste.” 

The event was very lively throughout the whole night with dancing, music and excited students. Dances have a very uniting purpose for the school, helping students connect. When asked how the school benefits from dances, Mahir Shyam ‘25 said,  “General school bonding. It’s like a special event that sets Foothill apart from like El Camino or other schools.” 

Time flew by and as 10 p.m. approached the dance started to wrap up, the warehouse lights turning on during the last few songs. Students went back to get their belongings, and with sore feet and scratchy voices, began to go home. As the night ended, students were able to look back at the dance with excitement and look forward to the future dances.