As students rushed in from the chilling wind into the Holiday Inn Select, they were soon greeted by a few hundred of their closest schoolmates; all waiting in line to either take pictures or patiently waiting to check in.
You could hear the excited shrills from girls seeing their best friends in beautiful dresses and boys looking highly uncomfortable in their suits and ties, but even the boys seemed to be overly eager to have some fun. Just as the lobby seemed to be bursting at the seams with kids, Mr. Pergola announced to the crowd that the doors to the ballroom would now be opened. And so the Snow Ball officially began. Each student was briefly searched at the doors and then admitted into the elegantly decorated room. Within 15 or so minutes all 300+ patrons were evenly dispersed throughout the room with camera flashes flashing everywhere. The buffet line was soon created while everyone’s mind seemed to be on the chocolate fountain, which was not set up until after everyone had the chance to get though the buffet.
No one really cared all that much about the food; it was all about the Snow Ball court. First was the boys court, all looking dapper in their suits and ties: Matt Blair, John Danek, Kevin McQuillan, Neil Pascarella, and Sean Taylor. Next up were the girls, who all looked gorgeous with their matching crowns, starting with Danielle Barbe, Nicole Bellis, Melissa Collazo, Sarah Hogya and Tori Lewis. After much anticipation, it was announced to the crowd that Matt Blair and Danielle Barbe were voted as the Snow Ball king and queen.
The first dance was dedicated to the newly crowned king and queen and that kicked off the dancing festivities on an extremely good note. At first sight you probably wouldn’t imagine that the tiny dance floor would fit so many kids, but the dancers made due. No one seemed to mind that they were bumping into people they hardly knew, they all had the same goal: to enjoy themselves.
Dancing contests ensued; including a surprisingly long limbo game, who knew Ringgold had such talented limbo-ers? Little Emily Masa, a junior in a cute polka-dot dress, easily won the game as she effortlessly walked under the bar, much to the amazement of her fellow contestants. Chad Kovalchuk, a senior, was the last boy standing and also placed second. The students continued to dance for the rest of the night.
The DJ dedicated a song to the seniors and without sounding trite you could feel the love. A large group of senior patrons grouped in the center of the dance floor to unite with hugs and holding hands to soak up the moment together. After the last dance, the students said farewell to their friends and headed home or to after parties.
Overall, the Snow Ball 2005 went very smoothly, no major problems were had and there was plenty of fun to go around. Many students have been heard to comment that this dance has been the best one yet.