A Students Account of the Oratory Semi-Formal: 2023 Edition

On April 27, the underclassman of Oratory Prep attended the annual semi-formal on a boat! Overall, both 9th and 10th grade student bodies would oversee an extremely successful event. Succeeding an amazing moving on/moving up ceremony, both grades received an early dismissal to prepare for the event. Upon arrival, each bus found its very own designation of students, with a very lucky selection, considering how everyone was very happy and talkative on the bus. The vessel itself consisted of 3 floors including a deck with a lounging area. From there, students and their dates would start with drinks (coke, cranberry, and orange sodas) and make their way down to the bottom floor. Consequently, an assortment of food consisting of tropical salads in variety, all the way to the usual chicken, steak, and filet were also provided. Students and their +1s really enjoyed the meals and the view from the sole of the boat. Needless to say, it was one heck of a night as people piled into the deck and took pictures in front of passing bridges, and later, the Statue of Liberty. Settling into the evening, a large amount of traffic was commuting at the dance floor. With an aspiring DJ performing music with a variety of tapes that really had the crowd going. Meanwhile, on the bottom floor for those tired like myself, we played Uno with a huge table of guests, but one of the most iconic moments was everyone meeting back on the dance floor for one last song. With everyone partying so hard, the floor was bouncing and the cleanup crew below were actually worried we would exceed the maximum weight and fall through the floor! It was truly an experience as everyone peacefully recounted their affairs on the boat on the bus ride home.