Author: Luana Yo ('25) and Joycelynn Saputra ('25)
Remember the Winter Formal last November? Many certainly do, especially all the games, the laughter, and the unforgettable live performances performed by BAIS’ very own students which were all phenomenal. What about the band members’ points of view? Or some students’ thoughts about that night? What did members of the Student Council (StuCo) think about that night? How did they do it?
Walking into prom, there were varying expectations the student body had. StuCo wanted to exceed everyone’s expectations, especially because it was the first time BAIS held a winter formal. However, there were many things StuCo needed to accomplish in order to make sure that this formal would be unforgettable.
As the night went on, this eventful party was held at the MPR, decorated with cotton, copper-string lights, and streamers to give the look and feel of winter. The sponsor of StuCo, Ibu Hani Ramappa, helped make it possible for this event to come to reality. Behind the scenes, she says that she was able to see StuCo’s initiatives through the different roles the members took when planning for the event. For example, Lulu Shi (‘25) was in charge of the decorations, Joycelynn Saputra (‘25) and Michael Hartono (‘24) were in charge of food, and Fallon Lo (‘23) was in charge of finance. The StuCo members worked hard for months in order to make every single aspect of the formal perfect.
Photo Courtesy of Melissa Budijono (‘23)
Being such a big event, there were many challenges StuCo had to face. When asked ‘what was the hardest part of setting up an event as big as Winter Formal and how did StuCo overcome those challenges?’ Sherin Chong (‘23), the co-president of StuCo, answered, “The hardest part was the little details of the planning stage. The little aspects, such as the logistics of the games and decorations, were the hardest.” It was difficult to pick the games that could be interesting and exciting for everyone to participate in.
Despite these challenges, StuCo had “exceeded expectations because it came together without any stumbling and it was the first-ever formal event. The food was really good and the decorations were great and creative,” Ibu Hani concluded.
Mischka Suwandi (‘24) also noted how she “ thought we wouldn't be able to satisfy the high school's expectations. I thought that the event would be boring, but it turned out to be enjoyable. Not because of the location. Many of the students already expected the formal to be something big and something outside of school in a nicer venue, but even though it’s in the MPR, we were able to set up a pretty successful winter formal.”
Photo Courtesy of Jihun Shin (‘23)
Many students had enjoyed Winter Formal and shared their thoughts and experiences about the event. Rama Putra (‘24) reported that “The food in prom was so good, and the activities that those 2 MC’s presented were so fun and engaging. Fashion shows, singing along, etc. It was what I expected, and it exceeded my expectations. Some bad apples here and there but everything else is awesome. I do want Stuco to create more events like these.”
Photo Courtesy of Helen Hong (‘23)
Without a doubt, the student band was one of the highlights of the night. Lionel Hirina (‘25), Gary Kurniawan (‘24), Jace Squiers (‘26), Reinner Lokanata (‘24), and Kezia Chandra (‘26), who were members of the band, really loved performing “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen. They really enjoyed being able to perform in front of people and being able to be a part of the band. Jace said, “My favorite memories when I was performing were when the audience wanted to play certain songs and we would just play them off of memory.” Gary also mentioned, “My favorite moment was being able to perform one of my favorite songs, ‘Johnny B Goode’ by Chuck Berry.”
Photo Courtesy of Jihun Shin (‘23)
There were several incidents that happened during the performance, but it made it more memorable for the members. Lionel said, “The funniest thing that happened was when we played ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You’ by Frankie Valli because we were off rhythm and tried not to laugh during that time.”
However, many would agree that the most memorable moment during the afterparty, for both the band and the audience, was when David was invited on stage to dance with Reinner during the “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen performance.
David Park (‘24) shared his thoughts on the performance, “I was shocked at first since Reinner did not tell me that I had to go up to the stage. However, after I went up, vibing there was great. I could feel the love of the crowd. It was very fun experience for me that I would not forget.”
‘A Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ Performance
Photo Courtesy of Joycelynn Saputra (‘25)
The 2022 Winter Formal was a success that opened more doors to future formal events. Melissa Budijono (‘23), the project leader of this event, said that “Even though organizing all the details of this formal party was challenging, the end result was satisfying enough to make all the hard work and effort that StuCo put in worth it.”
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