A St. Agnes Winter Formal: A Night in Monte Carlo

Last Friday, as the final class period edged closer and closer to the end of the day, the students of St. Agnes edged closer and closer to the edge of their seats. They discreetly eyed the classroom clocks, subtly closing their computers and sliding their notebooks into their backpacks—hoping for one bold student to be the first to make her way out the classroom door. But whether someone was brave enough to make the first move or not, by 2:55 pm, the halls of St. Agnes were stampeded by girls trying to make their way home as quickly as possible. Why? St. Agnes’ Winter Formal!

Winter formal is one of St. Agnes’ annual dances, but unlike Prom, it is open to all grades. So, in the seemingly short time between the end of the school day and the beginning of the dance, freshmen and seniors alike rushed to their bathrooms and closets to whip out mascara wands and slide into floor and tea-length dresses. It is a formal high school dance that, hinted by the name, takes place in the cold winter months of the year. This year’s formal was held at Buffalo Bayou Event Center, and the theme was “Casino: A Night in Monte Carlo”—which St. Agnes took to heart. 

Katie Olivero pinning a casino-themed boutonnière on her date, Henry Meraz.

Buffalo Bayou was decked out in all things casino and casino-themed. Photobooth strips were lined with a set of aces, slot machines lined the walls, and tables of blackjack and poker were set up around the room where students could earn raffle tickets to win raffle prizes like minifridges, Keurig machines, and more. Some students showed up on theme too, with boutonnières and bouquets featuring mini card decks and ties parading spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs.

As girls and their dates arrived from pre-dance festivities—group pictures and dinner, the night took off. Long, jewel-toned dresses blended to black amidst the dancing, suit jackets found their way to the back of chairs, and students fumbled their way through song lyrics on the dance floor. Casino tables were packed with students hoping to draw royal flushes and straights amongst their friends and dealers hurriedly explaining game rules to eager-to-learn participants. 

Winter Formal slowly came to an end with the drawing of raffle tickets. The night ended with shoes, suit jackets, and photobooth strips scattering the floor, reminiscent of the hours before.