Brigitte Hernandez | Staff Writer | lhernandez3@mail.smcvt.edu
The Residence Hall Association (RHA) hosted the Winter Wonderland Formal on Feb. 25th. The event was hosted in the Roy Room on the second floor of Dion.
“I am wearing a blue suit. We are all dressed to the nines. Jonas didn’t wear a tie though, but the rest we all look nice,” said Finn McGillivray ‘24.
Student-run formals are traditional at St. Michael’s College, said RHA Co-president Hannah Dawkins ‘22.
The tradition began with “Shane’s Sparkling Soiree,” organized by a previous RHA president. New themes emerge each year.
RHA Co-president Hannah Dawkins ‘22 said she was happy to host the formal this year, after they couldn’t plan one last year due to COVID-19.
“St. Mike’s has had quite a few formal dances, always put on [by] the Residence Hall Association. We weren’t able to host a dance last year because of COVID, so we were so happy we could host a dance this year,” she said.
Dawkins explained that RHA encouraged peers to follow health and safety protocols advised by the College.
“The guidelines for our event were basically the same as they are for any other indoor school event. Masks are required unless eating, people were asked to not enter the event if they were feeling unwell, off-campus guests had to register with Public Safety, and staff and club members had to be present to ensure people were keeping their masks on and being safe,” she said.
Dawkins also collaborated with Felicia Fil ‘22, Mary Kohn ‘24, Associate Dean of Students Kerri Leach, and Assistant Director of Conferences & Special Events Emily Zimmer.
More than 60 people attended the dance.
The dance gave students an opportunity to leave their dorm rooms and socialize while listening to music. The playlist included a range of different genres from the early 2000s to today’s top hits.
“I haven’t worn this suit in forever so I am really happy to put it back on it. Hit the dance floor,” McGillivray said.
When students took a break from the dance floor, they headed to the lobby to enjoy a food spread of gluten-free cookies, vegetable platters, fruit, cheese, and chips.
“There is great food spread. I liked all the cookies. There is so much diversity in the cookie plate.” said Chloe Davis ‘21.
Dawkins said she was satisfied with the outcome of the event.
“I would like to think the dance was a success. I was there the entire evening and saw so many students having fun and socializing, and everyone looked so nice in their formal wear. The goal was to put on a fun evening full of dancing, good music, and good food, so I think we did a decent job,” Dawkins said.
Andrew McCluster ‘23 is a University of Vermont student who attended the formal to enjoy quality time with friends.
“Honestly this is a great time for me. Usually, I am locked up in my apartment playing Mario Party and I normally go to events that are not as wholesome as this. I am glad that I am taking it down a notch and having some good wholesome fun,” he said.