A dance is where people go dance to some music and come back, right? Well, not this one! The Rio Norte Luau dance of 2023 has much more than just dancing. Unlike other dances with slow music and boring snacks, Rio Norte has a fun DJ who accepts song requests so you can dance to your favorite songs. If dancing just isn’t your thing then that’s no problem either. The dance also has mini golf, arcades, and a photo booth which are all free. If those aren’t appealing to you either then you could always just chill and relax at a bench or table. Nothing at the dance is required, except for the dress code and of course you need to pay for your ticket. On August 11th-17th, prices were $15.00 and on August 18th-24th, prices were $18.00. Now, if you weren’t able to purchase a ticket in time before the dance, hope wasn’t lost! You could just pay them $20.00 on the day of the dance and you would be able to get in. Prices increased as time went on so it was best to get your tickets early.
On Friday, August 25th, 2023, the dance began at 6- 8 p.m. During the entire 2 hours of the dance, students were able to meet our school mascot, Rooty the River Hawk. He was out during the dance and he gave students high fives as they walked by. Some students went to the photo booth and took some pictures with Rooty, or they just took their own pictures with them and their friends. Students who were going to the dance received a wristband during their advisory class which allowed them to get a mark each time they went to get something to eat or drink. These bands were provided so that one student doesn’t get more than two things. Of course, if a student already has two marks but is literally dying of thirst then they can still get some water but it is best to be wise and use your marks carefully. The activities at the dance kept students entertained while still being able to listen to the music that the DJ was playing.
The most popular game there was probably mini-golf. There were some little tracks which were like different levels and you kept going till the end. The mini golf was so popular that if you wanted to play, you would probably have to wait in line for a golf club to become available. Plus, if you wanted to go on the course then you would need to wait for the person ahead of you. Once you actually got to play, you would see how much fun it is. Speaking of fun, there was an arcade in the MPR which didn’t get many visitors because most people didn’t know about it. There were games projected on a screen and you could grab the controller and play. There were two games on each screen and there were not many people playing. The photo booth had many visitors and students had lots of fun taking selfies with their friends. The photo booth might have had the second-longest line. The first longest line had to go to the cotton candy. The line for cotton candy was so long that half the people who wanted cotton candy either gave up or weren’t able to get some because they ran out. Rio Norte student Siri Jamadagni says, “I was pretty sad that I couldn’t get cotton candy.” The cotton candy ran out near the end, disappointing students who wanted to get some before they left.
After the new no-phones-in-school rule was announced, many students may be wondering if phones could be used at the dance. Many students will need their phones to contact their parents which is why the school has allowed students to bring their phones with them, but they must be off and put away in any sort of bag or pocket the student has. This means students are not allowed to take out phones on campus. Of course, if there are any emergencies then students can take out their phones for help. During the dance, some students went on their phones, despite the rules. The staff at Rio decided to be nice since it’s the first dance of the school year so they decided not to comment on it and just leave them be. Even if they didn’t acknowledge it, students still should have followed the rules.
The dance was a fun experience for both teachers and students and everyone had a great time with all the activities that were there. According to an ASB student, Paloma Arciniegas, “In my opinion, the dance was definitely worth it because there were lots of amazing activities that we planned.” It’s not just this student’s opinion, many other students enjoyed the dance, either dancing to the music, eating snacks, hanging out with friends, or just enjoying the activities, Everyone had a wonderful time at the first dance of the Rio Norte 2023-2024 school year.