On April 22, Lynbrook hosted its first ever Spring Formal, a Great Gatsby-themed night full of ambient lighting and dancing. The journey to this night was full of many obstacle;  ultimately, ASB organizers believe their event was a success.

“From the feedback we received, people were very satisfied with the dance,” said sophomore and ASB Social Commissioner Amritanshu Ranjan.

In an effort to combat the low turnout at last year’s spring event, Spring Fling, ASB Social increased efforts toward promoting Spring Formal — for example, invitations were handed out to all Lynbrook students by ASB members dressed in cocktail attire. The decision to host a formal dance was fueled by the desire to improve attendance, as well as to fulfill student’s wishes for a formal event.  

“Through a student input campaign, a lot of people either wanted a Sadies or a Winter Formal to be brought back, so we decided we could sort of combine the two, and create a Spring Formal, which is similar to what the students wanted, but also different in its own way,” said sophomore and Social Commissioner Diya Jain.   

For the past two years, Winter Formal has been cancelled due to a decline in attendance. The Sadie Hawkins dance, where girls traditionally ask boys, was also cancelled due to low attendance but was proposed many times as a replacement for Winter Formal as well. Due to concerns over gender roles as well as wanting to host a more modern event, however, ASB Social decided not to hold a Sadies dance.   

“[ASB Social] felt that we lived in a very progressive community, and Sadies is an old tradition so we decided not to bring it back. [We also decided on] including opinions from the student input campaign,” said Jain.   

Lynbrook students showed interest in bringing back Winter Formal, leading the social commissioners to come up with Spring Formal. Once the decision to host the event was made, ASB Social decided on a Great Gatsby-themed dance, chosen over a masquerade dance with the belief that the dress code would be easier to follow, and that it would appeal to more students.   

“[The Great Gatsby theme] is very extravagant, and I feel like that’s something that hasn’t really been brought to Lynbrook,” said Jain.   

ASB Social chose to host Spring Formal in the Cove for the first time rather than the gym in hopes that the smaller space would create a more intimate atmosphere. The different layout of the Cove allowed for unique decorations such as clear drapes and lights.  

The dance featured hors d’oeuvres, a photo booth and music by DJ Jefty, the same DJ as 2018’s junior prom.