Cameron Cozzi  During the months of January and February, it often seems like the flow of homework is endless and Spring Break is years away. But, in the past, Latin has hosted Winter Carnival and Winter Ball in late January, giving students something to look forward to during the cold, monotonous winter months. This year, each day of Winter Carnival was packed with entertaining activities for students to participate in, including a lip-sync battle, a school-wide game of assassin, and pudding-eating contests. But, as it became clear that Winter Ball would not be included in the festivities this year, many sophomores and upperclassmen were left wondering if Winter Carnival was truly the same without the dance at the end of the week. Sophomore Jack Tempone, an attendant of last year’s Winter Ball, was sad to see it go. “I didn’t like how there wasn’t a dance. Granted, I didn’t love Winter Ball last year, but it’s always fun being with your friends.” Sophomore Cici Carr agreed with Tempone. “Although Winter Carnival is always fun, the absence of Winter Ball meant that there was no true culmination to the week,” Carr said. This disappointment surrounding the absence of Winter Ball has led to discussions of what the future of Latin dances might look like. Over the past few months, students have speculated that all dances other than Prom may be held in the gym in the coming years, and some students have questioned whether dances like Homecoming and Winter Ball will happen at all in the years to come. In an effort to provide some clarity, Sophomore Class Representative Jonah Schenk confirmed many students’ suspicions. “Mr. Tebbens let the student government know earlier this year that our Homecoming dance at Paris Club would be the last Homecoming or Winter Ball outside of Latin for the foreseeable future,” said Schenk. The change is being made to make room for the steep expenses of Prom. For the upperclassmen, the new venue for Homecoming or Winter Ball may seem unimportant, but for freshmen, this change is sizable. Schenk—as well as the other members of student government— have acknowledge the freshmen’s concerns. “We know it’s not ideal, especially considering how fun homecoming ended up being this year, but ultimately it’s not really up to us,” Schenk said. “Plus, we’ll all eventually get to go to Prom, so it all evens out in fairness.” ]]>