//PICTURED ABOVE: 1. Co-Chair Evan Johnston wears her “A Night at the Met” Winter Formal T-shirt. 2. The Winter Formal Committee created the invitation using the met logo. 3. Johnston and junior representative Avery Savage model the WinFo T-shirts. 4. The WinFo Committee meets to discuss budgeting, food and topiary walls.

From planning the decorations for the Empire Room venue to designing the freshman invitations, the Winter Formal Committee has been hard at work these past few weeks as the “A Night at the Met” Winter Formal approaches on Feb. 22.

This year the Winter Formal committee comprises a smaller committee in addition to the senior co-chairs. Although WinFo typically has been planned by two senior chairs and the Student Council, this year a committee including two juniors, two seniors and the two chairs will take part in the planning.

Seniors Evan Johnston and Kathleen Roberts are the co-chairs, while Chloe Johnson and Anika Bandarpalle are the senior representatives and Erin Parolisi and Avery Savage are the junior representatives.

Although the committee members collaborate with the Upper School Student Council, they have the final say in choosing food, decorations, lighting, seating, casino games and invitations. To cover these areas, the committee members were each assigned an element to research, and later proposed ideas to each other during the meetings.

Savage said one of the main things the committee has been focusing on this year is the lighting at the Empire Room.

“There were a ton of complaints from the Hall on Dragon venue last year being too bright,” Savage said. “We had a meeting with the owners of the venue who showed us all of their technology, and we want to collaborate with them to add to the theme and colors by using our logo.”

Johnston said the group also is working to change the stereotype that Winter Formal is less exciting than the homecoming dance—starting with amping up the dance floor and venue.

“We are making the dance floor its own space compared to being more of an area like in previous years,” Johnston said. “We believe it will make the dancing aspect much less awkward than it has been in previous years.”

For the venue, the committee has incorporated both indoor and outdoor spaces, similar to what Roberts remembers from previous Winter Formals.

“It’s really nice to get some fresh air in between dancing, and there will be plenty of room for everything we have in mind,” Roberts said. “There will be a dance floor and other activities inside, an indoor and an outdoor senior lounge, outdoor seating with heaters, food and drinks, and Flash Photography all night.”

The whole committee is looking forward to seeing the Upper School’s reaction to their recreation of the Met Gala, particularly Johnson.

“I am most looking forward to seeing how everyone reacts to the venue, all of the ideas the committee has come up with and the senior lounge,” Johnson said.

Savage said she is excited for when the final date comes around and they can see all of their imagined designs and hard work come into reality.

“I think it’s going to be really fulfilling to see it come together and see everyone enjoying the venue, theme and décor,” Savage said.

Story by Remy Finn

Photos by Remy Finn and Kate Clark