Bearden’s fourth annual Winter Formal will be held on Feb. 1 from 7-11 p.m. at Bridgewater Place.

Organized by the Bearden Key Club, this year’s theme “Oh What Fun!” is inspired by the nostalgia often felt during the holiday season.

“It’s basically the accumulation of memories and moments that you’ve had with your friends and family,” senior and Key Club President JP Catuncan said. 

While Winter Formal is a fairly new event in the realm of Bearden traditions, students have enthusiastically embraced the dance. Falling somewhere between the post-game Homecoming dance and junior and senior prom in formality, “WiFo” provides a formal experience for all grade levels.

“Winter Formal is a little more laid back,” senior Taylor Cross said. “You don’t have to find this big dress that fits you, you can wear what you have, you go with your friends, you don’t have to find a date, and anyone can go.” 

Key Club has been hard at work planning, advertising, and preparing for the evening since early fall. This process begins in a committee that is tasked with bringing every element, from promotional flyers to final decorations, together to create a truly memorable night.

“We actually started thinking about this in, probably, late September,” Catuncan said. “We consolidated and finalized the theme, then we put it out to people and at the end of December, we started selling tickets.”

Although the club is primarily student-run, sponsors Mrs. Amy Davis and Mrs. Autumn Suranofsky provide support wherever it is needed. In the process of organizing an event such as Winter Formal, the club sponsors play key roles in the overall team effort.

“We do a lot of the legwork behind the scenes,” Mrs. Davis said. “For example, [we] book the venue, deal with the DJs, and handle the money aspects, while students will do, primarily, ticket sales, advertising, word-of-mouth, and then we will all do the day-of decorating and things like that together.”

Along with ultimately bringing the student body together on the dance floor, the last few months of preparation have both demonstrated the dedication of Key Club members and provided meaningful collaboration between Bearden students and faculty members.

“We’ve got some really spectacular students at Bearden, and I really enjoy getting to know them,” Mrs. Davis said.

Tickets will be sold for a discounted price of $20 on Tuesday before returning to the regular price of $30. Although they will not be sold at the door, students can purchase tickets in the West Mall during lunch periods in the weeks leading up to the event. 

After experiencing the inaugural years of Bearden formal, current seniors reflect on the fond memories that the new tradition has provided and look forward to this years’ event.

“Last year, we all got into a massive circle and danced to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ and everybody was welcome to go into the center and do whatever they wanted,” senior Julia Ozdych said. “Everybody was supporting everyone and it was really just a great environment to be in.”