By Lavanya Lehl
The Ghostly Gala was a Halloween-themed formal dance organized by the CIS Student Council. On the same day, it was split into two cohorts; grades 7 to 9 in the afternoon followed by grades 10 to 12 in the evening. The gala boasted a variety of attractions for just $5, ranging from pizza and drinks, music and dance, to a haunted house. Despite the large scope of activities, the two cohorts seemed to hold contrasting views on the overall success of the Gala.
According to several sources in grades 7 to 9, the Ghostly Gala was “a blast”, the turnout was large, the music and dance were thrilling, and all students “really enjoyed [themselves]”. In contrast, the experience for students in grades 10 to 12 was lackluster. With a turnout of around 50 students, the Red Dot Convention Centre “was nearly empty”. With music repeated and overall low energy levels, most students had a dull time especially when compared to the preceding year’s Winter Formal: “The winter dance was 10,000 times better!”.
But why the stark difference? In my opinion, it all boils down to advertising and school spirit, or a lack thereof. I noticed that the publicity for the Ghostly Gala aimed towards grades 7 to 9 was significantly more than the publicity for the grade 10 to 12 cohort. Posters and the creation of an Instagram account only do so much… The most effective publicity tool is word-of-mouth. While grades 7 to 9 were buzzing with conversation about the event in the weeks prior, it was barely a topic of discussion for students in grades 10 to 12. This could be due to the heavy workload placed on higher grades, their unwillingness to plan Halloween costumes or uncertainty about who was and wasn’t attending.
Overall, although the Ghostly Gala was a well-planned and coordinated event, its contrasting receptions by the public are a result of inconsistencies in publicity.