What To Expect From Swirl

Swirl is City’s annual Valentine’s Day dance for high school students. It is semi-formal, slightly fancier and more formal than homecoming. The 10th grade student government has so far announced that Swirl will be on February 11th 2022 at 7:00pm, and will take place at Frederik Meijer Gardens.

Previous Swirl locations have included St. Cecilia Music Center and the Grand Rapids Public Museum. The class of 2024 student government seems to be going for a different environment with Frederik Meijer Gardens. The majority of students like the venue choice because it is a nice environment that is not too casual or formal. City senior Madeline Uren comments “The only two I’ve ever gotten to go to were at St. Cecilia (freshman year) and the public museum (sophomore year). Both were really cool! I think Meijer Gardens is a great venue idea and I’m excited to see how it turns out!”

Another City senior points out that not everyone is a nature person, so Frederik Meijer Gardens might not be for everyone, and it would not have been their venue choice for their senior swirl. However, they do believe Meijer Gardens is a photogenic place and are excited about the potential for quality photos.

A City freshman states “I honestly believe it’s going to have quite a nice environment for the mood and it’s definitely going to be the nicest dance I’ve ever been to but my only concern is the fact that it’s winter, I’m just betting that they still keep everything alive and pretty in this weather but I’ve never been in the dead of winter.” They pointed out a valid concern – will the dance be inside or outside? Most guess it will be in one of the venues inside, but if the dance is going to be held outside, be prepared for cold weather!

Based on the survey sent to all the highschool students, potential Swirl themes include masquerade, cities (NYC, LA, etc.), fairy/mystical/enchantment/nature, under the sea, winter, glam/Hollywood/Met Gala, a specific color (red, pink, purple, etc.), or Valentine’s Day.

Some additional information was acquired from the 10th grade student government- tickets to Swirl are planned to be sold starting next week (first week of February) during lunches and guests are allowed!

This year’s Swirl has a lot of potential to be a great dance! Many students have high hopes for it, as it will be the first or last swirl for freshmen and seniors and the first Swirl since 2020. Class of 2024, don’t let us down!

LIA LIN

Writer at The City Voice

Hiii! My name is Lia and I’m a sophmore here at City! A few fun facts about me: I’m one of the student ambassador co-presidents, the historian on the NHS executive board, the Chinese Club spearhead, flute section leader in the band program, part of the City Voice, and the class of 2025 student government president! Outside of school I’m involved in Youth Grant Committee or YGC, I’m the executive outreach director for GENUp MI, and I play tennis for Ottawa Hills. Some of my hobbies include spending time with family and friends, reading, playing tennis, and playing my flute.