Hundreds of guys and girls flood the Terry Center, Sperry’s stomping on the floor, hands waving through the air, the faces of the freshmen lit with joy. Speakers boom with the sound of vibrant music. This is the typical setting of the Jesuit and Ursuline freshman mixer.
On Saturday, August 29, 2015, Jesuit hosted the annual Freshman Mixer solely for Jesuit and Ursuline freshman. The dance helps the freshman ease into the transition from middle school to high school. This year’s theme for the mixer was meant to center around Jesuit sports, the walls bearing jerseys, uniforms, and other decorations of virtually every Jesuit sports team. Occurring from 7-10 p.m., the dance hosted a D.J. that played all genres of music.
The Jesuit Student Council sponsors and prepares for the mixer. They set up tables, put decorations on the walls, and supply the concessions for everyone. This year’s refreshments were an assortment of cookies and water bottles. The attendance “was pretty normal; a majority of the group comes from Jesuit, and a roughly equal number from Ursuline. However, there were a few girls not from Ursuline who were invited to come, who attended the dance,” said Michael Boyson ’16, Student Council rep.
Boyson ’16 explained further, “Our main goal for the Student Council’s Freshman Mixer remains pretty consistent throughout the year: it was to provide an entertaining and exciting way to relax with their sister schools.” And the Student Council accomplished that yet again. When asked what he liked best about the mixer, freshman Charlie Cole ’19 said “meeting new people and dancing was awesome because it’s another opportunity to meet new people and to create new friendships with fellow classmates and the girls.” Boyson ’16 recalled his own Freshman Mixer, saying, “I really thought the theme was cool. I remember it was based off of movies and they had popular classic movie posters put up and really cool decorations. The DJ was also fun, since I had never been to a dance before the Freshman Mixer.”
Not only did Student Council achieve their goal of creating a fun and entertaining party, but they also improved on last year’s mistakes. Boyson ’16 explained how they “cleaned up afterwards in about 30 minutes, which was miraculous compared to the two-three hours it took in the past.” The Student Council also switched to “plastic water bottles that were much easier to clean up.”
The Freshman Mixer is a great way to start off the year, Boyson ’16 calling it “an initiation of sorts” for the freshmen into the Jesuit and Ursuline community. The Student Council has their sights set ahead; awaiting the much-anticipated Homecoming Dances on October 24, Ranger Day on November 6, and finally Junior/Senior prom on April 23.
