After months of anticipation, weeks of proposals, days of dress/suit shopping, and hours of hair and makeup, the Junior Class celebrated the end of the year with the Junior Dinner Dance on Friday, May 16th at Samuel’s Grande Manor.
The Junior Dinner Dance ( JDD for short) is Williamsville East’s version of Junior Prom. Most students choose to go to the dance in couples. Getting a date isn’t as easy as it may seem; many juniors have been planning their proposals for months prior to the dance. Junior Kevin Stone said, “Asking a girl to JDD is a big deal, and if not done properly can result in rejection. I wanted to make sure I would go to the dance with the right girl, so I planned my proposal months in advanced. It turned out that the preparation paid off, because she said yes!”
The variety of proposals this year made the weeks leading up to the dance are exciting and interesting. Melissa Li said, “I asked someone to JDD by using a crepe at the coffee house. It was filled with strawberries, and he was allergic to strawberries so he couldn’t eat it. If he had eaten it he would have died.” Near death experiences show that the juniors of Williamsville East will stop at nothing to get the perfect date. Melissa Li later said, “I spent $2.50 on my proposal and almost killed my future date. However, I think that the fun of JDD was worth the money and risk.”
Proposals also swept students off their feet and took them by surprise. Junior Lauren Anderson said, “I was really shocked when I saw my car decorated and “JDD?” on the windshield. It was one of my favorite moments in high school.”
Junior Grace Schaefer said, “During the weeks leading up to the dance, I loved scrolling through my Instagram feed to see the fun and creative ways people were getting asked. It was a really exciting time!” Pictures of proposals flooded social media leading up to the dance, and many juniors had the chance to let their creativity shine. Caitlyn Littlewood said, “I prepared my proposal months in advanced. I called all of my closest friends to help me out. We asked him on the tennis courts with a bunch of posters. It was so fun!”
For those who were not lucky finding a date to the dance, JDD could be very stressful. An anonymous junior said, “I could not find a date to the dance. I am still going to go because I love dancing and this is my only JDD. Unfortunately, I will be alone during the slow songs, and maybe forever. But, that will not ruin my excitement for the event, and I have other friends that are going by themselves to accompany me.”
The anticipation and preparation for the dance did not stop after finding a date. Junior Lauren Shine said, “My biggest stressor was finding a dress. The dress had to be perfect, no doubt about that. This was the biggest dance I have been to in my life, and I wanted to look like a princess.” Junior Jakob Karbowski said, “I think that finding a well-fitting suit for a guy is probably as stressful as finding a dress for a girl.” He received a lot of hate from stressed girls after muttering those words.
On the night of the dance, many students choose to attend parties to take pictures and eat some light snacks. Junior Taylor Friedman said, “The picture parties before JDD are almost as important as the dance itself. It is where the memory of the night is captured.”
Once at the venue, students sat with their friends for dinner before dancing. Junior Jack Moser said, “The dinner was my favorite part of the dance. I had some quality time to talk with my date and get to know her better before I scared her away with my dance moves.” Junior Harry Yun said, “I love food, and dinner was fun because of the great food they served.”
Senior Helen Xu, who attended the dance with a junior, said, “During dinner I was just waiting for the music to turn up and for the dancing. I like food but I love dancing. I wanted to wow my friends with my sick moves. The music at the dance was absolutely top notch. They played new songs that were perfect for dancing. I think I impressed my date with my dougie.”
For a lot of people, the night didn’t stop when the dance ended. Junior Mandela Namaste said, “I was excited for the dance, but I was ecstatic for going to Lasertron after. I love to play lasertag and I wanted to beat all of my friends at the games.” Junior Kelsey Emmerson said, “After the dance, my friends and I planned to go to Niagara Falls for a night of beauty and possible romance. However, the night turned out to be colder than I had expected. It was still really fun, though.”
The new friendships and possible romances formed during the dance will be cherished for a long time after. Junior Caroline Terhaar said, “I think the night was one to be remembered forever. I got to know new people in my grade and I made some new friendships. It was a successful night.” An anonymous student said, “I found a love interest in my date. I really hope that he cherishes that night as much as I do. I am really hopeful for the next couple weeks of school to see if we start dating. JDD was really a great time to start dating.”
Another anonymous student said, “I think I fell in love with my date at JDD. It was amazing.”
The Junior Dinner Dance was a night that all juniors will always remember.
