With white trees adorned with snow and masks, a large feathery masquerade backdrop, and countless upper schoolers dancing, Winfo was an absolute success, said senior Activities Board representative Brie Johnson.

“It was so nice to see all of our hard work reflected in the quality of decorations and smiles of our peers,” Johnson said.

After months of preparation, the Activities Board hosted Hockaday’s annual Winter Formal Dance on Jan. 21 at Venue Forty50.

Following the Student Council Mixer, Activities Board members began planning Winfo in early November. First, the board looks through venue options, chooses a location, has it approved by the board’s faculty sponsors and books it. After they choose the venue, the board brainstorms themes and composes a list to send to Student Council to vote.

Once the theme is finalized, Activities Board tours the venue and begins searching for decor to match the theme and fit the event space.

“Touring the venue allows us to more accurately plan out the space and select decorations that will reflect the theme,” Johnson said.

Led and directed by Activities Board Chair Megan Manning, the entirety of student council then creates a Winfo theme reveal video to share with the Upper School and announce the theme.

“My favorite part so far has been the reveal because it was very interesting and suspenseful, and I loved getting to surprise upper school with the theme,” Manning said.

After announcing the theme, Activities Board advertised and sold T-shirts with the Winfo design and theme to Upper School students to expand their budget and account for decor costs. Though Hockaday accounts for part of the Winfo budget, funds for Winfo are derived primarily from Mixer and Winfo T-shirt sales.

“Because Hockaday does not charge for Winfo tickets and funds are based on how many T-shirts we sell, the Winfo budget can be a bit unpredictable, and most of it goes toward the venue and DJ fees,” Manning said.

Beside the budget also encompassing venue and DJ fees, it includes the freshman dinner, gifts and decor, Johnson said. After deciding on and purchasing all the decor for the dance itself, Activities Board helps parents plan the freshman gifts and centerpieces for the freshman dinner.

This year, with the masquerade theme, Activities Board elected for masks and beaded centerpieces. Activities Board members said they enjoyed planning Winfo and bringing their vision to life.

“I really like planning events and creating fun experiences that make the Hockaday community a more fun place to be,” Johnson said. “Bringing all the different grades together in school is really hard, so it’s fun to have nights where we can just celebrate being friends with each other.”