Spring Fling dance draws school year to close
Photo by Aaron Veincent
Seniors dance their night away with one another at one of the last events together. The spring dance welcomed all grade levels for an end-of-the-year dance.
Saturday night around 100 students gathered in the high school dining hall to dance the night away at the first Kamehameha Maui spring dance.
In the past, Kamehameha Maui has had several other dance events, such as a Fall Formal and Winter Ball, but an all-school dance event was only recently brought back.
“We haven’t had [an all-school] dance since my freshman year, but with the spring dance it gave a chance for the whole school to bond with one another,” senior Noelani Poepoe said.
Three years ago, KSM hosted a winter ball.
After a successful banquet season the Associated Students of Kamehameha Schools Maui wanted to create another opportunity for students to dance and have fun with their classmates, so they planned the Spring Fling.
“Since we wanted to focus on school unity and try to bring that back, we thought, ‘Why not do a school dance where everyone is invited?'” ASKSM president Kūlia Fernandez said.
To do so, they had to act fast. They hired Next Level for their DJ services for the evening and Piko Cafe to cater the dinner.
“We didn’t want to only invite students to just dance, so we also provided a meal from Piko Cafe and an ice cream bar,” Fernandez said.
The cafeteria was filled with music and a gorgeous set of spring-related decorations that were “all pulled together last minute” ASKSM vice president Hunter Worth said.
The tables were draped with ivory and champagne linens and white lanterns hanging from above.
In the center of each table were a squared mirror with pastel colored or clear vases filled with feathers, roses, or orchids and Piko Cafe coupons scattered around.
The cafeteria was also sectioned off with a wall made of folded tables. On this wall was draped white fabric with shimmering lights shining through golden see-through fabric and synthetic florals.
On one side of the walls were the dining tables and the dance floors, while on the other was the food area, including an ice cream bar.
A quarter of the high school student body showed up, and there was an array of students from each grade level.
Everyone who attended spent a lot of time dancing. Some couldn’t wait to get onto the dance floor resulting in some dancing with their food!
Some praised it highly and compared it to their own banquet, like junior Breanna Purdy who said, “It was better than junior prom.”
Many left the night wanting another one and hoping the event would become an annual thing.
