The concept of Sadies has been losing its significance over the decades, as formerly it was known for females asking males to the informal school dance. Now that’s normalized, Sadies has started to become known as any other dance but more casual, declining interest from the newer generations of students. Gabrielino High School’s Assistant Student Body (ASB)’s decision to discontinue Sadie’s dance and instead seek student input for alternate activities is commendable, as it reflects their dedication to student involvement. While some may grieve the loss of a long-standing tradition, it is critical to acknowledge the importance of valuing student voices and adjusting to preferences within the school community.
The Gab Night Market represents a significant transition towards appealing to more interests and a bigger demographic. By offering diverse activities, including food vendors, a dance floor, games, and obstacle courses, they appeal to a wider array of interests than the singular theme of a dance. While school dances provide music, dancing, and one food vendor, a night market often offers a greater choice of happenings for the guests to have an enjoyable time.
ASB’s approach of polling students for food vendors and event preferences further shows their commitment to engaging with the student body. Despite criticisms mostly concerning ticket prices and additional costs, the decision-making process reflects their respect for student opinions and desire to boost anticipation and enthusiasm. Polling students has them become invested and valued in shaping the event.
Students were charged $10 for people without an ASB card (as of Feb. 23), which covers activities such as a dance, DJ, obstacle courses, and games. On top of the cost of admission, students still needed to pay for food, items from vendors, and the teacher dunk tank. While it is crucial to take into account the value students receive for their investment and the profitability of the event for ASB, the cost of attending must be lowered for it to be accessible.
What is not understood by some students is there is still criticism even though the idea of a night market was favored the most in the poll. At the beginning of the school year, a poll sent out to all students resulted the Gab Night Market as the most desired decision out of the others.
To better meet student interests, ASB can also try offering a Winter Formal as an option. A Winter Formal is just as appealing as Prom while being open to freshmen and sophomores. When ASB rids of the Sadies dance, freshmen and sophomores will only have one traditional dance to attend per year, homecoming until they can attend prom. Additionally, it would be appealing as an alternative prom at a cheaper price, since it could most likely take place on campus as other schools do the same.
If there is a continuation of an unsuccessful event taking place during this time of the school year, ASB should cancel holding any extra event besides prom and homecoming. This would grant better funding for better prom venues, and bigger budgets for school lunch activities, rallies, and homecoming.
ASB should continue having a voting system for student opinion until the school finds a medium on exactly what the student body would appreciate. The Gab Night Market is a promising and refreshing act of change, showing that ASB is taking steps towards being more innovative and in tune with the student body’s wishes. ASB’s bold and considerate decision to prioritize student input shows promise that our school will only move forward from here, laying a foundation for a more engaging future.
