Neon colors, black lights, shutter shades, booming music. This is the atmosphere that students anticipate at Glow Fest.
Glow Fest will kick off the Holiday break; the dance will take place on Saturday, Dec. 21 and will be held in the cafeteria. Glow Fest is organized by National Honor Society.
The turnout is phenomenal every year, as students pack into the cafeteria to jam out and dance alongside their friends.
National Honor Society Adviser, Mr. Lorenzi said, “We sold 701 tickets last year. I would say that we should have about 800 tickets sold this year.”
Glow Fest is a big deal at Bethel. Surrounding school districts have never hosted a dance like it.
As a result, there is a lot of interest from outside districts. In the past students from other districts were allowed to purchase tickets at the door. However, this year a change has been made.
Mr. Lorenzi said, “Due to the high level of interest from surrounding districts, we have decided that outside students cannot purchase tickets at the door. Folks from outside the district and graduates of BPHS only have to give the ten dollars, the permission slip on the BPHS GlowFest twitter account or the one available in the Activities Office, and a copy of their ID to a current BP student. The student will then go to the Activities Office to register the non-BPHS student for the dance.”
Mr. Lorenzi doesn’t think the change will hurt the overall sales of the dance. Outside students can still go, but the only difference is that waiting until the last minute to decide whether or not to go is no longer an option.
Officer Modrak said, “We want the same mindset of Homecoming. If we have them fill out a registration form beforehand, I’ll get an idea of who will be there. This way we can anticipate to not have a problem. Our problem with an open door policy is that I don’t know how many people will actually be there. If we have too many people, then we have to hire extra security, which means we would have to bring in the Bethel Park Police, whose rates are ninety-one dollars an hour and a four hour minimum. That’s why we’re regulating who comes in and what not.”
In fact, according to Officer Modrak, a large margin of the tickets purchased last year were by walk-up.
“All we’re asking the kids is to get ticket purchasing done ahead of time,” Officer Modrak said. “We want to be prepared and have the right amount of staff on hand.”
The birth of Glow Fest marked something special for the High School, as it’s a win-win for everyone; the students get to have a fun time, while donating to charity.
Every year, the proceeds are donated to charity. This year, the proceeds will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children’s diseases.
Last year, students enjoyed complimentary shutter shades and glow sticks that were handed out at the door. Students came dressed in neon colors. In terms of school spirit and supporting Glow Fest, students seem to raise the bar every year. For example, last year, students went as far as splattering neon paint all over each other’s bodies.
The tradition will continue. Students are getting excited about Glow Fest.
High school senior, Brock Zekany said, “Last year, I basically dressed up as a raver/hardstyle jumper. I was wearing shuffle pants and these crazy rave goggles. The year before that I was shufflebot. This year, I am going to go all out by wearing the pants, goggles, and by getting some crazy body paint and throwing it on a t-shirt.”
To students’ dismay, another change has been made. National Honor Society is taking a different route this year, as large glow sticks will be prohibited at the dance.
NHS Dance and Induction Heads Chad Vomer and Emily Marzina said, “We’re still having glow sticks, but they’re going to be the smaller ones. The large, survival sticks that we used last year have been banned. The small glow sticks will be available for pickup at the door along with the shutter shades. We are using the same DJ as we did last year, Travis Butler. Also, we are getting more black lights and placing them differently in the cafeteria.”
Last year, the larger survival sticks were broken by students. The liquid in the glow sticks spilled across the cafeteria floor.
As a result, Dr. J decided that it would be better to use the smaller glow sticks rather than the larger ones.
In past years, the black lights that dangled from the ceiling did not illuminate the entire cafeteria. This year, they will be repositioned to maximize brightness.
Nonetheless, students are getting pumped about Glow Fest, craving for the week to be over. Wisps of whispers are sounding throughout the hall, as students are saying, “Now, let’s kick off the Holiday break with a bang.”
