The Barnyard Bash at Branson will be the school’s first dance since winter 2020. 

The Nov. 6 event will be an all-school dance, planned by the sophomore, senior and student body members of Student Senate.

“The dance has something for everybody — dancing opportunities and time to just be at school with friends,” said Maura Vaughn, senior dean. 

The sophomore senate, senior senate and student body senate have worked to create an event that will allow students to socialize, have a good time and meet new people. 

“I think everybody should come with the attitude that they are going to meet people they don’t know and be excited about that,” Vaughn said. 

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, freshmen and sophomores have not attended a schoolwide Branson community event. Therefore, many new students are unsure of the plan for the dance. 

“We are planning to not only have it be a dance but also have multiple fun games that people can play during the night,” Senior Co-President Alexia Oltramare said. “ This will be a relaxed/informal environment and there is no need to dress up super fancy or ask someone.”

A challenge that accompanied the planning was the venue situation. Oltramare said planning the dance at Branson instead of an outside location was a challenge because there were few precedents. 

She connected this challenge to the cause for a more informal dance. 

“The largest factor in the theme change was the somewhat last-minute venue change,” she said. “We collectively decided that the Branson campus would be better suited for a less formal dance.”

Vaughn said that with Branson as the venue, keeping the well-being of the neighbors in mind is paramount to holding a successful event.

“It’s incredibly important that we are good neighbors whenever we ask our neighbors to be tolerant with us outside of the school day,” she said. “Students should be respectful and responsible when parking and driving around campus.”

Aria Saluja, a sophomore, and Ally Hsieh, a freshman, voiced their anticipation for the upcoming dance. 

“I am excited to go to our first Branson dance — I think it will be a super fun experience,” Saluja said.

“It will be exciting to hang out with our entire grade outside of school hours,” Hsieh added.

Anton Gridley, sophomore spirit captain, looks forward to kicking off the year with the Barnyard Bash. 

“I encourage everyone who can to attend,” he said. “This dance will show what Branson events are all about: community and togetherness.”