BY KELLI ROJTAS
News Editor

After making minor changes to senior prom last year, school officials once again will consider changes to formal dances this year.

The only change that has been made so far is that last year’s age restriction for senior prom has been dropped.

Last year’s age limit allowed for no one older than those one year out of high school to attend the dances, and those had to be Baldwin graduates.

This year the only age restriction is that everyone attending must be under 21.

Much of the speculation among students, however, has focused on whether freshman and sophomore formals will be replaced by informal dances, but administrators said no changes have been made yet.

“Nothing is set in stone, but there are ongoing discussions,” Principal Walter Graves said.

It is possible that these dances could be brought in-house and be held at the high school, he said.

Another option being considered is cutting these dances altogether, but adding one or two all-school informal dances, such as a homecoming or a snowball dance, in the gym or atriums.

The purpose behind this is “to go back to tradition,” as many dances used to be held in the building, Vice Principal John Saras said.

Also, this would allow these dances to be less costly for students, and it would save the special venues and formal attire for the upperclassman dances, Saras said.

The formal events committee, administrators, teachers, parents, and students all will be consulted before any changes are made, Saras said.

Many dances used to be held in the building, Saras said.

Informal dances would be less costly for students, Saras said. Any move from formal underclassman dances to informal events would save the special venues and formal attire for the two proms, Saras said.

The formal events committee, administrators, teachers, parents, and students all will be consulted before any changes are made, Saras said.

“We want this to be a collective decision,” Saras said.

Senior Katie Thorpe thinks that these changes could be beneficial.

“I think it’s a good idea because if freshman and sophomore formals are changed, it will make junior and senior proms more special,” Thorpe said.

Senior Marco Valente disagrees.

“I think having a homecoming dance and senior rec so close together would be a bad idea, and I wouldn’t want to go,” Valente said.

Freshman Haley Moore thinks freshman and sophomore formals should remain unchanged.

“I think it’s important for freshmen and sophomores to have their own dances because it gives them an experience they might not have anywhere else,” Moore said.

Sophomore Kaylee Waylonis agrees with Moore.

“I think freshman and sophomore formals should stay the same because it’s tradition, and not everybody gets along,” Waylonis said.

Sophomore class sponsor Virginia Pfatteicher said she has no issues with these potential changes.

“I don’t care if there’s a sophomore class dance, a freshman class dance,– just as long as there is some dance that they can go to,” Pfatteicher said.