While many students are getting excited to dress up and spend time with friends at the upcoming new Winter Wonderland Ball on February 27, some are still concerned over the pricing of tickets for the event.

“Pricing is certainly something we took into consideration, and that’s why we sent out [a survey about ticket prices], as we wanted to gauge what people were willing to pay,” said co-head of the Student Life Committee (SLC) senior Jacquelyn Hart in response to these concerns. “That survey told us that people were predominantly willing to pay $30.”

Results from this survey show that out of 308 responses, 46.6 percent said they were willing to pay $30. Taking these financial concerns into consideration, the SLC recently announced new group discounts. With a group of five students, tickets cost $20 dollars, and with a group of 10, tickets cost $15, only slightly more than the typical Homecoming entrance fee.

The SLC decided to plan a more formal dance this year in response to the low turnout at spring dances held in previous years.

“I think a lot of the lack of success has to do with the fact that they weren’t different from a Homecoming. I think Homecoming has this notion attached to it where everyone goes to Homecoming. But when it would come to the spring dance, our Upperclassmen attendance wasn’t great, and our overall attendance wasn’t great, so I think it’s just the fact that it was redundant,” said Hart.

The SLC hopes to give students an event that is different, more formal, and enjoyable for all students. In order to achieve this goal, the SLC has planned activities for the event that are different from what a typical school dance might include. In addition to the “dance” part of the night, a movie, games, and even a baking competition are also scheduled for the evening.

“The students don’t know what to expect, so they don’t know what that $30 is going to buy them, when indeed it’s going to buy them a lot,” said Hart.

Hart believes that because this is the first time an event like this is being planned, the SLC was unsure of the most effective way to market the event.

“We are trying to market it, and we’re not sure exactly how to do that just yet because it is the frst time we’ve ever done this.” Hart believes that students’ concerns over pricing also stem from the fact that this is the frst time an event like this is occurring.

Hart explained that while prom tickets cost upwards of $80, students do not usually complain about the pricing because prom has historically been much more expensive than other school events.

Regardless of price, many students are excited to attend the dance, citing not only the dance’s theme, formal dress code, but also the opportunity to spend time with their classmates at a school event, as recently, there has only been one dance a year that is available to all Upper School students.

“I’m excited for the dance because I’ll get to see my friends, and it seems a lot more put-together than other dances,” said freshman Julia Parks.

Whether you have already picked out a dress or are weary about ticket prices, we can all agree that the Winter Wonderland Ball will be an event to remember.