By CASSIDY DESTEFANO
Staff Writer

This year’s Winterball semiformal sold a final count of 283 tickets, according to Leah Morgan, sophomore class adviser.

Students had varying opinions on the turnout of the night.

Freshman Tanner Richardett of Tinton Falls said the events surpassed his expectations.

“I know the sophomores have been working tirelessly on the whole event and overall I’d say the night exceeded my expectations, [although] it was nothing like I envisioned.”

On the contrary, there were some minor disappointments. Sophomore class president Hannah Wallach of Millstone said she was a little crestfallen when the DJ failed to comply with all of the song requests on the playlist she had previously compiled. Wallach also noted the abbreviated time span to prepare for the event, as Hurricane Sandy interrupted the planning schedule.

Planning included a five-segment commercial, which was broadcast each morning during the week of the dance on Channel 64’s The Beat, the daily morning news show.
Junior Mary Saydah of Middletown said while she enjoyed the five-part commercial, some of the upperclassmen were bothered by the choppiness of the releases by the week’s close.

“Towards the end [my chemistry class] started to get annoyed and thought it dragged on,” Saydah said.

Senior Austin Smith of Hazlet called the commercial “funny and interesting,” but did not believe that the advertisements were the main draw or cause for the high upperclassmen attendance at Winterball.

“Winterball serves as a replacement for most schools’ homecoming dances,” Smith said. “Aside from prom, it really is the only night we get to go out and dress up in our shirts and ties and fancy dresses.”

Freshman Richardett said he is still in the process of “recovering (his sense of) hearing” after the dance. Richardett also proposed the addition of more slow songs to Winterball in years to come, as it is the school’s only semi-formal event.

Saydah and Wallach are in agreement that no true comparison can be made between each annual Winterball, as it varies so drastically from year to year.

“Each year I think each grade tries to do something to top the year before them, and that’s what makes each dance so unique,” Saydah said.

Wallach added that improvements for next year are under the discretion of the Class of 2016, as they will be responsible for hosting the 2014 Winterball.

Although the theme of Winterball oscillates from year to year, Smith agreed the overall aura remains constant.

“Winterball has always been one of the biggest nights in CHS culture, ever since I was a freshman,” Smith said. “Even though the theme changes every year, the vibe at Winterball is always the same.”