ASB students plan for months in preparation for the Winter Formal dance, whether that be picking a theme, finding a venue, planning activities, or helping organize the pep rally. All of these key factors have to be planned accordingly in order for the San Juan Hills Stallions to have a memorable positive experience at their winter formal, which is quite a difficult task.
“In ASB, we throw out ideas for themes and then write them on the whiteboard. Then, we narrow it down to around three,” said ASB President Whitney Shady.
Once the brainstorming process is complete, ASB gives the rest of the student body the opportunity to vote on their desired theme through an online form.
Students collectively voted for the 2025 Winter Formal theme to be “La La Land,” starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. This film has touched many peoples’ hearts because of its incredible soundtrack and romantic chemistry between the two lead actors.
Once the theme is decided, ASB goes through the tiresome process of finding a venue that best suits the theme and the budget of the school. The main difficulty, however, is that a lot of students aren’t interested in traveling farther distances, so most of the venues are repeats.
“The most difficult part about planning for the dance is figuring out what venue will excite the students and make them want to go,” said Activities Director Brooke Valderrama.
Activities in the pep rally are determined by the creative ideas from students, with the goal to gain interest in the upcoming dance. All ASB students have the ability to suggest ideas for activities in the dance and pep rally by writing them on the white board and voting on them.
This academy award winning movie describes the struggles of chasing one’s dream while also balancing relationships and life. Many of the dances and music in the pep rally are inspired by some of the iconic movie scenes, while also having their own original twist.
A pep rally is arranged in order to promote enthusiasm and advertisement for the upcoming dance. ASB members organize a pep rally by picking MC’s, activities, and decorations.
“Most of the music in the dance is from the movie, but for scenes that don’t have a specific soundtrack, then I’ll find one that’ll fit the theme,” said dance director Kristine Calder.
Students come together to create a fun filled environment by decorating the gym with large and colorful posters. They also add musical components into the event by performing multiple dances that match the theme of the decorations and movie. While dancers also dance in a choreographed video based on the opening scene of La La Land.
Students and staff members spend long hours making sure that the dances displayed in the pep rally are up to par with SJHHS standards, with many that announce and perform in the event.
Announcers for the pep rally are interviewed by the ASB members and have to read a script in order to be considered for the position. The announcers that are considered must bring an entertaining energy to the table, if they wish to be the face of our school in the pep rally.
Calder explains how she envisions certain students as major roles in the performance, which is how the cast is determined. Dancers interested in being a main role in the performance, must prove that they’re able to play the character with integrity and enthusiasm.
Anyone interested in participating in the planning for dances, pep rallies, and events, can join the ASB class that’s run by Tanya Pattee and Valderrama. If interested in the actual performing aspect of the pep rally, can join the multiple dance classes offered by Calder.
To purchase tickets for the 2025 La La Land Winter Formal, click here.
