REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM ALEX GARCIA
As the 2016-17 school year kicked off, Loyola welcomed over 2,000 students to the Loyolapalooza back-to-school dance on Saturday, Sept. 17, for a night of live music, dancing and food.
Loyolapalooza has become a hallmark for not only Loyola Cubs but for girls from schools all over Los Angeles; over 1,300 female students attended this year’s dance, according to Director of Activities Chris Walter ’93. Guests from Marymount, Archer, Louisville, Harvard-Westlake, Notre Dame High School and many others attended.
Notre Dame High School sophomore Lauren Boylston said, “It was great to see many of my old friends at Loyola that I hadn’t seen in a while. It was also great to meet so many new guys and girls that I will know for years to come. My friends and I had a lot of fun dancing and enjoying the festivities.”
In terms of advertising the event, Student Council featured a Snapchat “Geo-tag” that counted down the days until the dance began. They also advertised the dance through other social media platforms such as Instagram and provided fliers to be passed out at football games and other planned events prior to this year’s dance.
The DJs for the dance included Groove Factor Entertainment and Loyola’s own Modern Poet’s and Composer’s Club, moderated by English teacher Douglas Brown and assisted by basketball coach Chad Yates.
Because it was the first dance of the year, the student council worked hard to advertise the festivity to Loyola freshmen, hoping the event would be a proper introduction to Loyola’s social life.
Freshman Aidan Osterman said, “The dance was a great experience for freshman. The music was great and the environment was energetic and lively, all things one would want to have at a dance. I can’t wait to attend next year.”
“I think it was a great experience for everyone, guys as well as girls, I enjoyed it both freshman and sophomore year, and I encourage everyone to go to these kind of events,” said sophomore Luca Morra.