Photo by Gretchen MacLean/The Choate News
In light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, another time-honored Choate tradition transitioned to a virtual setting. The first-ever online Holiday Ball was held on Saturday, December 12 from 8:00 p.m. — 10:00 p.m., Wallingford time.
In past years, the event has been a semi-formal dance held to celebrate the holiday season and give students a chance to destress before working on exams, papers, and presentations due the following week. Hosted in the dining hall, the event traditionally included food, dancing, booming music from a professional DJ, and a brightly illuminated Christmas tree in the senior section of the dining hall where many students took photos. However, the new virtual format greatly changed the nature of the event.
Ms. Colleen Kazar, Assistant Director of Student Activities, said that this year’s virtual Holiday Ball featured “an assortment of games and prizes in the theme of Comfort and Joy,” including activities like “a best-dressed and make-your-own-virtual-background competition, along with games such as Go Fetch Holiday Edition, drawing competitions, and word games.”
Ms. Kazar appreciated the festive, upbeat, and energetic atmosphere of Holiday Ball. Though the Student Activities Center (SAC) team has had to postpone many exciting activities until the next year, Ms. Kazar emphasized that the virtual Holiday Ball was a unique opportunity for “students to dress up, share their favorite holiday traditions, and interact with their peers.”
Unfortunately, the turnout this year was lower than anticipated. The students who partook in the events nonetheless enjoyed the experience and wished more students could have been there to celebrate the evening with them.
Kailani Day ’21 said, “Not many people came, which was a bummer because it was so much fun!” Day wanted to credit Ms Alex Long, Director of Student Activities, and Ms. Kazar for planning the memorable night.
Lorraine Hillgen-Santa ’24 agreed with Day, adding that she “had a fun and relaxing time thanks to Ms. Long and Ms. Kazar, who energized the holiday spirit.”
Some of the activities included Scattergories, a creative-thinking game that requires participants to list words that all start with a pre-designated letter and fit into different categories, which could range from TV shows to desserts; Quiplash, a humorous game where participants have to provide alternative answers to prompts like “Another name for France”; and drawing competitions.
The night concluded with students singing Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Both Day and Hillgen-Santa expressed great enthusiasm for all the activities organized for the event.
Reflecting on the evening, Ms. Kazar said, “[The event] allowed students to connect even though we are located all around the world, and we are grateful for the students who came out to enjoy this event. We look forward to next year’s event, which will hopefully be in-person!”
Hillgen-Santa added, “I had actually never met any of the students that participated in the activities, and it was really nice to start friendship with people outside of my classes.”
Day encouraged members of the student body to partake in more SAC sponsored activities. She said, “You never know what could happen or who you will meet!”
