Past dances and student expectations

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY L. MARTIN VIA CANVA

Originally published January 23, 2024

   There is no doubt that a middle school dance is considered a formative part of a teens life, but MBMS has not seen a school dance since before the pandemic. 

   “[I expect] to hang out with friends [at the school dance],” sixth-grader Livi McGrath said. 

  Many students have watched teen movies that show a stereotypical view of middle school dances, which leads them to think middle school dances are a lot different than reality. 

   “I feel like there’s [going to]  be people dancing or making a circle where people [can] go dance in the middle,” sixth-grader Rodrick Kikuch said.  

  Some students may want to ask others out to the dance, which could put some students in an awkward position.

   “I feel like some people [might feel pressured to say yes], but if it was their friend, I think they would [feel pressure to] say yes,” Kikuch said.  

  Students perspectives on dates vary, this may be due to personal bias, or to others it could just be preference. 

   “I think it depends on the person you want to ask [to the dance],” McGrath said. 

  Few schools have teachers that are married to one another, but MBMS happens to have Mr. and Mrs. Kemp, who met while teaching. 

   “Mrs. Kemp and I met in August of 1997 at Lakeview Elementary, which is in the Auburn School District. She was the teacher in the classroom next to mine where I was student teaching,” computer science teacher Mr. Kemp said. 

  Many students love music, and school dances tend to showcase the popular music of the time. “I haven’t supervised many [school dances] where “Yeah!” by Usher isn’t played. It’s a classic school dance song,” Kemp said. 

  While on the topic of music, it should be acknowledged that music can help create lasting memories, like that of a song played at a wedding or graduation. 

   “[The song played at our wedding was] “The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra,” Kemp said

   MBMS hasn’t seen a school dance since before the pandemic, but some teachers recall what past dances looked like. 

  “Dances a long time ago were pretty cool. There was always a DJ. We used to get DJs from local radio stations. There was always food. Most of the time basketball and other activities were available for kids to do as well. They were fun to supervise because watching middle schoolers dance is always interesting,” Kemp said.