On Feb. 18, the senior class gathered for this year’s Winter Ball — the largest in-person school event since the first shutdown in March of 2020.

The event was held at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom in Waikiki, with over 200 guests. Each senior was entitled to bring one date. The only rule: everyone was required to bring either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test.

The theme was Masquerade, with tables decorated with gold and silver-colored masks and Mardi Gras beads.

To commence the food service, seniors Aliyah Jefferson ’22 and Elizabeth Neufeldt ’22 competed in a dance-off to decide which side of the ballroom will receive the meal service first.

As the dancers battle it out to Pitbull’s “Don’t Stop the Party (feat. TJR),” Lukas Mathews ’22 and Shontee Perpignan ’22 cheer on ‘team left’ representative, Jefferson, who won the dance competition by show of applause.

While the right side of the room waited for their turn to be served, many took advantage of the 360 photo booth machine, like Isabella Muzzi ’22 and her friends. Not printable, this photo booth produced a short 15 second video for those willing to wait on the line. Friend groups waited up to 15 minutes to try the new TikTok craze, proving it the main attraction of the night.

For those wishing for a shorter wait, guests headed over to the second photo booth like seniors Mackenzie Lee ’22, Jacie Nava ’22 and Lauren Hayashi ‘22. Like a traditional photo booth, it came equipped with props and printable results.

Throughout the night, Na Pueo staffer, Finlay Curran interviewed seniors, like Lexi Stoebenau ’22, to ask about their feelings and opinions on attending their first large-scale, in-person event since their sophomore year.

After dinner, guests were asked to gather at the dance floor and pose for a group photo. Though masks were required to be worn at all times, not including eating or drinking, the senior advisors decided to make an exception to capture this moment.

To initiate the dancing, the DJ played LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem” to lure guests onto the dance floor. The chandelier’s slowly dimmed and the neon strobe lights and fog machines turned on.