East’s Class of 2024 will host the annual East Sophomore Cotillion on Friday, February 25th, from 7 to 10 p.m. The dance will take place in Cafeteria 1 and East’s courtyard (weather-permitting) and the dress code is semi-formal as the Class of 2024 is hoping East students will join them for “a night under the stars.”

The Class of 2024 started planning the event at the beginning of January, ready for the excitement to begin. Sophomore class president, Crystal Yeh (’24), says “We started planning the beginning of January in order to have the best night we could.”

Food will also be served, such as snacks, water, desserts, and a nacho bar. Keeping the existence of COVID-19 in mind, the sophomore committee chose these food choices hoping they would prevent students from reaching in and sharing food items. “We’re trying to restrict the spread of germs, so we also have staff who are going to be serving the food for us,” says Yeh.

Seeing that the Class of 2024 was welcomed into East through online learning, they wanted to make a plan for something they had always seen upperclassmen able to enjoy but also put their own spin on previous Sophomore Cotillion traditions. Unlike last year’s freshmen and sophomore dance event, this year, sophomore students are allowed to bring upperclassmen as dates to the dance. Tonight, socks, instead of the usual shirts, will be given to students. “Now we have socks, which are just as fun if not better, in my opinion. I love the socks; they look so cute,” says Yeh.

There will be a DJ and many opportunities to take photos with friends, according to Yeh. The class officers and representatives of the Class of 2024 are most excited to see each other after only getting to know each other through screens. “We’re able to actually see each other in-person and really celebrate and get to know each other and connect with one another. I think it really brings us all together without the barrier of a computer screen,” says Yeh.