Ever get the feeling that makes your fingertips numb and your heart race? Actors would call it stage fright, athletes would call it pregame jitters, and average students would call it that one minute gap between 11:58 and 11:59 on turnitin.com.  High school is all about living life on the edge, or so the brochures advertised, but because the fall play is over and the winter sport rosters are set, (can’t help you with those papers, friends,) the only source behind all that hormonal hallway air must be the some 3,000 teenagers that call North Penn prison home. But what about the nerves, you ask? That is the real question, North Penn, and because it’s still not quite midterm season, I’ll go ahead and blame the tension on Winter Ball.

School dances are a stressful time of year, and it’s not even the night of the dance itself. The days leading up to it are what truly separate the strong from the weak, or rather, the lazy from the diligent. The ‘ask’ is a key part of any dance as the amount of effort put into it may or may not make or break your chances of getting a date. When creativity is about as hard to come by as kids that actually read the books assigned in English class, a simple task suddenly becomes much more intimidating. But don’t fret, North Penn. My humble Korner and I have come in to save the day (James Bond style).

1. Finding your mark:

I hate to shatter the hopeful dreams of any starry-eyed sophomores, but Winter Ball is probably not the place where you’ll run into the love of your life. You’ll still do a lot of running, just from other couples who carry on like the world is ending tomorrow, if you know what I mean. Such is the aura of public school. That’s why it’s probably a good idea to take a good friend, someone you can laugh with and feel comfortable around. Stiff dates are as fun as they sound, and you don’t want to be attached to a piece of cardboard all night. Even going with a group of friends makes the night that much better.

2.   Implementing the A.S.K (still pondering a cool acronym):

Winter Ball is not prom by any means, but junior class, don’t think your efforts are under appreciated. What this only means is that you’re not expected to go overboard when it comes to actually popping the question. Sometimes simple is sweet, but there’s a fine line between lazy and sincere.

• A text message leaves a little more to be desired, my friends. Think about it – you text your mother when you realize you need more eggs after already starting the recipe. You text your friends for pictures of homework you should’ve done the night before. Don’t let your date be the afterthought. A little face to face interaction never hurt anyone, and it’s enough to show you thought about it.
• Posters are a convenient method for asking as well, though sometimes it’s hard to be original. A quirky little rhyme (puns? Puns are good.), a shared language, or an inside joke makes the poster more unique and interesting. (Thank you, Google, for making us look good.) Clearly you put some time into it.
• Then there are the hardcore Winter Ball proposals, albeit usually reserved for the couples among us. But it’s also a good way to make a good/interesting first impression with the person you’d like to get to know better (just do your research first). Before I continue, a special shout out goes to the parents who are expert secret keepers and completely collected when boyfriends/girlfriends show up at their houses at odd hours with strangers and lighters (i.e. Mr. and Mrs. Krane, you both are gems). You can never go wrong with food (I hear Chick-fil-A is popular), and flowers add that perfect finishing touch.

3.   Dancing – shaken and stirred up:

This is a dance after all. “Stands” do exist – they’re called waiting rooms, and nowadays you’re even allowed to sit in those because that’s how boring standing is. At the risk of sounding redundant, dance is for dancing, you know, the movement of your feet to the beat and the feeling of the bass in your chest. It’s better to accept now that the music will probably be subpar and so loud you can’t make out the words anyway. That’s why it’s excellent to just let loose and have a good time.

Tickets are on sale now, North Penn. Shake off those nerves likes it’s your groove thang on our gym floors, and ask a friend… or don’t. Go with a group, or just embrace your inner floater. Above all, we should really make the effort to go. We don’t get that many chances to come together as a school, but this is a night to come out and flaunt what we’ve got. Dress it up, (just not down please,) and enjoy a couple hours free of expectations. I’ll see you all out on the dance floor.