BY EMILY BLYSTONE
Staff Writer
This school year marks Baldwin’s 75th anniversary, and while the school is embracing classic Baldwin tradition, new traditions are being established that will hopefully carry on after the class of 2015 has graduated. One of the biggest and probably most groundbreaking new Baldwin traditions is the Homecoming dance.
Baldwin has had a shaky history with informal, all-class dances. 2012’s Glow Out dance and 2013’s Halloween dance both experienced low turnouts, because students were not willing to gamble their reputation by attending these new dances. But now that freshman and sophomore formals have been cut, and a more mainstream Homecoming dance has been adopted, the school’s rough patch with small dances has come to an end.
Even though many were skeptical about the wear-something-you-own dress code and using the gym as the venue, the event was able to pull in about a third of the student population. It was the casual element of it all that created the feeling that this dance was for everyone, not just those who enjoy Baldwin’s glammed-up formal dances. Whether someone wore heels or Converse with their dress, they were welcome at Homecoming.
Now that Homecoming is here to stay, a similar Snow Ball dance looks like it may be in the school’s future. With any luck, Homecoming will encourage students to attend a winter dance, and the informal dance curse at Baldwin can be lifted.
