By Megha Lakha and Maxine Smith
The first thing Zara Hebb said when I asked her about PDC was, “I was dreading it at first.”
Zara said that all of the upperclassmen told her “it wasn’t fun and wasn’t worth her time,” but once she went she realized it was actually fun. On the other hand, Carter Rumph thought it “could’ve been better” and that “it was kind of boring.” Jake Deter stated that he was a bit nervous in the beginning because it “was a first-time thing.” Like Zara, he felt better once he got there.
PDC all starts with finding a date, Zara suggests that most people should “ask a friend- someone you know you can talk to easily.” Also, don’t stress about it too much because you mostly hang out with your friends. Most of the sophomores suggested asking your date through a text to avoid awkwardness. It is also a rite of passage to make signs to ask your date, but this year no one really did that.
The first stress sprung months ago: trying to find a dress. For guys, it’s easy. They pick out a nice tie and make sure their suit fits. Girls have to find shoes, jewelry, and of course the dress. Finding the dress takes a lot of time. First, you have to find one you like, but then you have to make sure no one else has it.
Some people suggested making a slideshow and sharing it with all the girls in 9th grade so everyone could put their dress on it, assuring no one will have the same dress. Avery Friedman exclaimed, “Finding the dress was definitely the most stressful.”
Getting ready for this year’s freshman PDC started hours before the actual dance. Most girls chose to get their hair and nails done; some even got their makeup professionally done. Some got a spray tan the week before so it would set in and not rub off. People then got their nails done a few days before- most on Friday, so that they were fresh and wouldn’t chip. As for the actual day of PDC, girls began getting ready hours before the event. “I started at 12:45 pm when I got my hair done,” Addison Cunningham said. She came home and had a 30-minute break, and then started her makeup at 2:45.
As for the boys, it didn’t take too long for them to get ready for the dance. Jake got ready 30 minutes before the picture party. And Chay explained that he “overestimated a little bit.” He showered an hour before he actually left the house, so he just sat around for a good 30 minutes. He said it took him about “10 minutes to get dressed.”
After everyone got ready, they headed to the picture party with their families. Olivia Simms hosted the grade-wide picture party. That might seem crazy as the whole grade was at one house, but it wasn’t as chaotic as it sounds. Olivia said her family “thought it would be a good way for everyone to feel and included and see each other.” Ella Anne Williams said, “It was chill.” There was plenty of food there including Shake Shack, fruit, desserts, and mini sandwiches. Olivia said that the party prep wasn’t too bad. “The day before we had to clean up a lot, get all of the house clean and get all of the food ready,” she said.
A big aspect of PDC is the food, so was it good or bad? A bunch of upperclassmen had ranted about how bad the food is. One sophomore even called the food “inedible.” They served us a caesar salad for an appetizer, and the main course consisted of chicken, asparagus, and mashed potatoes. After we ate, there was dessert available, like cookies and brownies.
Julia Batchelor said she “didn’t eat a bite of it.” Meanwhile, Chay Simons said he ate everything. “I’m gonna be the chef here- it was obviously frozen. Everything was congealed, but it tasted good,” he said. He said he hopes he can have the food again next year, so he can try the brownies.
Much of the party was spent dancing with friends and dates. When Avery was asked if she danced, she replied, “Heck yes I did.” Chay asked his older brother if the same band played when he went to PDC and he said yes. “I think they have a set PDC group,” he said.
Many people danced but reported not liking the music. “The music could’ve been more current, like pop music and not whatever they were playing, but I still danced,” Zara Hebb said, Most of the music was older songs like Sweet Caroline rather than music from our generation. Still, Avery Friedman s wished that we didn’t sit down to eat for so long so that we had more time to dance and socialize.
So, was the dance as stressful as some of us thought it might be? Amelia Darden doesn’t think so. She said she “had a really good experience.”
Carter Rumph felt the “unpredictability of it all” was really scary. “Because we were freshmen we didn’t know what to expect,” she said. Most girls agreed that it was stressful asking their date to go with them and it was draining to dress shop.
The boys, however, said it wasn’t too stressful. Chay said the only part that was tough for him was knowing how to act. “It was just like being in that gentleman’s state of mind where you have to be a gentleman,” Chay said. Jake said that his date took care of everything, so he wasn’t worried.
Overall, PDC was an interesting experience to say the least. Some loved it and some hated it. The only advice we can offer to rising freshman would be to stress less and enjoy it. “It’s not as bad as everyone says,” Chay Simons said. Like chill out.”
