One of the biggest aspects of one’s high school experience and what he/she remembers the most, are the social events like dances and sports games. Being able to create unforgettable memories with friends is very important to many. Although, one’s chance to enjoy high school could be taken away at the drop of a grade.

The Winter Formal is an annual dance that occurs in February, exclusively for students with a cumulative weighted GPA of 3.5 or higher. The grade point average requirement enables higher excelling students to be recognized for their hard work. Although, there are many other ways that this group of students could be recognized without singling out those of less academic status.

Holding a school dance that isn’t an opportunity for the entire school will definitely make those who can’t go think lesser of themselves. There are unique situations when a student that always works hard and tries their best doesn’t have a 3.5 GPA. That student’s commitment and work ethic should not be based on a numeric score. Not being invited to the Winter Formal because of this number could tell that student that their time and work doesn’t matter and that they should stop trying.

Along with this situation, having a GPA requirement sets up the aspect of no diversity. Because Central is praised on the diversity of the students ethically and physically, academic diversity should be looked at as well. A big part of this school is celebrating the differences between people, and grades would fall under that umbrella of differences.

Other reason why having an academic requirement for a school dance would be that the students’ behavior is not taken into account. There are probably students that meet the requirement, but don’t represent the kind and caring eagle attitude. This shows unfair to those, as mentioned before, that put in the effort at school but come short of a 3.5 GPA.

The whole premise behind Winter Formal is almost to the point of immaturity. A school dance should be the place where students have fun and enjoy themselves with all of their friends. Telling a student they are not allowed to attend a dance sounds childish, almost like they are being grounded by a parent for insufficient grades.

Now, there are those that would add that the students who meet the GPA requirement need to be recognized and appreciated for their levels of success. Of course they should be honored by the school, but there are alternative routes like a dinner/lunch ceremony, assembly, or an event similar to Purple Feather Day.

Overall, holding a dance meant for only a select group of the school population can lead to several downhill occurrences, such as the misrepresentation of school diversity. It is important that students get the chance to live their high school years to the fullest while maintaining their grades at a personal pace.