Dozens of Ladue students spent an “out of this world” evening at the second annual Winter Informal, Dec. 2. The event was popular last year, but there were a number of changes made this year.

The winter informal provided an easy way for Ladue students to give back to the community, while having a great time. This year, the dance raised over $1400 for Kingdom House.

“I went last year and I thought it was alright,” senior Jake Goffstein. “The main problem was that we could not hear the music, but this year we hired a professional DJ.”

This year, the dance was held in the West Gym, rather than the Black Box Theater, in order to hold more students.  Another difference this year was that all grade levels were allowed to attend the dance rather than just juniors and seniors. However, not everyone was happy with the turnout.

“The decorations were really cool, but I wish there had been more people there,” sophomore Claire Paddock said.

This year’s theme was Space Jam.

“We wanted a really fun theme that would make people want to go all out for, and we thought Space Jam would do the trick,” senior Charlene Masona said.

The theme was well received by freshmen and seniors alike.

“I thought it was better than homecoming” senior Cecelia Vetter said. “The DJ was better so I could actually understand what song was playing.  Plus, people wore a lot of neon, which glowed under the blacklight, so it looked really cool.”

But the dance was about more than just having fun.  The planning process involved collaboration between many Ladue clubs and organizations. Clubs included Habitat for Humanity, StuCo, Blue Crew, LAASA and DueCare.

“StuCo is honored to have been able to set up and organize Winter Informal. We’re proud to be a part of the fundraising at Ladue,” senior Lucas Tamaren said.

Each club was put in charge a different aspect of the planning and set up process.  Many of the senior leaders in charge of planning felt that the variety of groups involved actually helped to unify the effort.

“The idea to incorporate other clubs into the planning this year… made a huge difference,” senior Marina May said.  “[We were] able to bring multiple groups of people together and appeal to a vast demographic of Ladue students which [helped] raise more money.“

Additionally, the proceeds from ticket sales went to a commendable cause.  The organizing clubs decided to give the money to a local charity called Kingdom House. Kingdom House provides employment and training programs to help unemployed people get back on their feet. In addition, it provides daycare and many other services.

“It’s a really great feeling when we’re able to bring the school together for a great cause,” Greenberg said. #