In the United States, almost every high school has a prom in the springtime, which is anticipated by many students. Most also have a formal homecoming dance in the fall. Elder High School does not have a homecoming dance, but it has something similar.

By tradition, every Friday night after Thanksgiving, Elder hosts its annual Victory Dance. According to Mr. Reiring, “It originally started as the fall formal as a follow up to the Elder-West High football game that traditionally, particularly during the 60s and 70s, took place on Thanksgiving Day.”

Like the Honors banquet and many sports banquets, the dance is held at The Woodlands. Early in the school year, students took a survey which asked if the location of the dance should be moved away from The Woodlands.

Mr. Reiring said that a venue change was considered because of “dissatisfaction with The Woodlands in general because so many of our events are held at The Woodlands.” Even though students have complained about The Woodlands in the past, it was decided that the venue would remain the same.

The same survey also asked if the dance should be open not only to juniors and seniors, but to sophomores as well. According to the results, most students polled did not want sophomores to be included. Keeping with the tradition, Victory Dance is still juniors and seniors only.

Student body president Ben James, who attended last year, said, “It was a good time. I personally am not as big a fan of dances myself, but it seemed like everybody who went had a good time.”

James also said, “We’ll probably emphasize it a little more on Twitter than we did last year because I think it’s important for people to go to dances even if they don’t like them, like myself. It’s still a good time to have with your friends and you only have so many at Elder, so why not? What’s the worst that can happen? You go, have a good time with your friends and go home.”

While not as formal as prom, Victory Dance is still a shirt-and-tie dance. Most guys bring a female date, but going stag is also an option. Most guys do not go solo, if any. The ticket price is $30 per couple, and will be on sale from November 20th-26th.

The Victory Dance itself will be on Friday, November 28th, from 8:30-11:30 p.m. at The Woodlands. The Woodlands is located at 9680 Cilley Rd. off S.R. 128 in Cleves.