The annual Sadie Hawkins dance wowed over 400 Bangor High School students with numerous draped lights twinkling across the balcony, handmade heart cutouts perfectly placed on the walls, plus bouquets upon bouquets of Dum-Dum lollipops and vibrant red roses. Bangor alum DJ Shevy boogied the night away, providing upbeat, fun music for all to enjoy. 

“I was so happy that we were able to have DJ Shevy this year again; he is definitely the best DJ we have ever had. He was really great, it was a lot of fun and he seemed to play to the crowd really well. People were always dancing and enjoying it. I know I was,” senior Carmela Simineri said. 

Stunned attendees walked through the entrance on the night of Feb. 8 as strings of lights dazzled in their eyes. A full light canopy set the intimate mood for the night, as students danced underneath the beautiful display. 

“The lights hanging from the upper pillars gave Sadies a fresh, dazzling look. I was very surprised when I first saw them, but loved the addition to the decor. The yearbook and journalism crew always has superb decor, but this year they took it to a whole new level,” senior Jenna Learn said.

Under the direction of advisor Mr. Madden, seniors Austin Medina and Jacqueline Greene carefully hung each light strand with care. With Madden on the ladder, a handful of students participated to make this impressive display come to life. Medina would position the single light strand on the balcony, then carefully lowered the light strand to Greene down below, who would then hand the lights to Madden to fasten upon the beam above. 

Many trips up and down the ladder completed the eye-catching light display. 

“Putting the light canopy together was exciting and I thoroughly enjoyed the tedious process. On Sadies night, I was shocked as I walked through the entrance doors because it looked better than I had expected. It gave Sadies an aesthetic vibe,” Medina said.

As the light engineering project took place, a separate group of students traced and individually cut out each heart to fill the theater with love. Pink, red, and white, the hearts added a touch of color and vibrance to the Valentine’s Day themed dance.

“Cutting out all of the hearts for Sadies was absolutely exhausting, but absolutely worth it! The night was so festive and fun, especially since everything matched and the theme was consistent throughout the venue,” sophomore Emily Greene said.

After countless trips to Michael’s and Walmart, seniors Jacqueline Greene and I tediously worked on the photo booth to provide a picture-perfect setting. We individually placed each black, white, and red streamer on a long strip of clear tape, then hung it on the bare wall. 

We then blew up red and black latex balloons to cover the top of the streamers. Cardboard hearts were then added to the sides, and a handmade pennant banner that displayed the word “Sadies” finished off the elaborate display.

“It was so much fun to make the display with my best friend, and despite all of the numerous trips to Stroudsburg stores, it was worth it because it was my favorite part of the dance. It was a proud moment to step back and admire what we had made,” Greene said.

In room 123, juniors Danielle Hess, Tinia Burke, Samantha Wilson, and senior Sheldon Buist worked extremely hard on the large banners that were hung over the balcony and above DJ Shevy. After measuring the exact spaces the signs were to be hung, tracing each letter, and adding a pop of color with different paints, the signs tied all of the decor together.

“It was a lot of fun painting the huge Shevy sign because it turned out great and Shevy loved it. First Mr. Madden printed out the logo and we scaled it to make sure it would transfer properly to the big poster. I felt a little overwhelmed because it was such an eyepiece for the dance, so Dani and I knew it had to be perfect,” Buist said. “We felt like our hard work paid off though because everyone appreciated it at the dance.”

Another very important step, the Mass Communications class as a whole participated in blowing up over 200 multicolor balloons for the fun-favorite balloon drop. 

“I thought Sadies this year was the best it has been out of all four years. I got to dance and spend time with all of my friends, and I even had the opportunity to participate in the balloon drop. Seeing everyone’s faces as we dropped the balloons was a blast,” senior Hannah Frankenfield said.

The final step to completing the decor was to arrange eight tables and decorate them accordingly. Once the tables were set up, seniors GG Murgia, Maria Bartolucci, Greene, and I placed alternating red and black tablecloths on each table. We then put one pale of Dum-Dum lollipops and roses on each designated table.

“Setting up all of the tables for the dance was a lot of work. Making sure that the tablecloths were even and the lollipops and roses were placed correctly may have taken awhile, but it was all worth it when the dance started and I could see everyone having a great time, even when they were just sitting down at tables and talking to each other,” senior GG Murgia said.

The Mass Communications class would like to thank the wonderful Mrs. Finkbeiner for donating the gorgeous live flower bouquets, which were proudly displayed on their own table for all to admire.

When all of the intricate details were complete, the Mass Communications class took a moment to admire their dedication to making this dance the best one yet.

“My last Sadies was by far the best. The music was great, the decorations got everyone into the Valentine’s Day spirit, and I think everyone loved the balloons,” senior Sara Phillips said.

The 2019 Sadie Hawkins dance is one that all Bangor students will remember and will be difficult to top in years to come.