After name changes and months of planning, New Trier hosted the first ever Trevapalooza on Feb. 20, 2016.
For some students, this time of year is a fun event that they look forward to, but others have mixed feelings about Trevapalooza and dances as a whole.
“Every year it seems as if something goes wrong,” says junior Rachel Cohen, “Whether it is finding an after party or figuring out who to ask, it always provides unnecessary stress.”
Despite the stresses of planning a theme, juniors and seniors tend to be more relaxed about it because they have gone to the dance before. On the other hand, freshman have no idea what their night may entail.

“I’m the most worried about little details,” said freshman Kelly Mcnulty, “I don’t know when we should go to the dance or how long we should stay.”
Mcnulty also claimed that she was worried about seeing upperclassmen at the dance because freshman are not accustomed to them at the Northfield campus.
But all in all, Trevapalooza is about having a good time with your peers. “I am more excited about the dance than worried,” said Mcnulty, “The most important part is that to have fun with your friends and not worry about details.”
Two days later Mcnulty and Kann were not disappointed, “I had a blast,” said Kann, “honestly, the best part of the night was the dance itself.”
Other juniors had the same opinion as Kann, “The dance was a lot more fun this year than others,” said junior Matt Mulhern, “plus I got down on the dance floor.”
Most juniors and seniors had the same reaction about the dance, while younger kids had a more difficult time getting loose at the dance.
“It was uncomfortable trying to do anything at the dance,” said sophomore Mason Smith, “especially because we have to dress up, it makes it obvious that I am an underclassmen.”
Talking to upperclassmen compared to freshman and sophomores, the responses were the same as every year. The upperclassmen had a good time not only at the after party, but also at the dance while underclassmen’s favorite part of the night was the after party.

One of the biggest issues with asking a date is how quickly the process happens. Cohen describes this anarchy-filled week as the “wave:” the moment where many people in the school lose their mind sprawling for a date.
“I asked my date during the wave,” said Cohen, “It was annoying because I hadn’t thought about who to ask, but I didn’t want to be left dateless.”
Senior Joe Graves chose not to participate in the madness, “Dances just aren’t my thing,” said Graves. “I would rather stay home and go to an after party than waste two hundred dollars on a dance.”
Dances do come at a cost.
Taking into account the bus, costumes, and tickets to the dance New Trier students spend around a hundred dollars for a night of fun.
But junior Ryan Mcguinness says it is all worth it, “It’s better to go because school dances are something everyone should experience. I mean, where else can you party with your entire school?”
One of New Trier’s traditions for Homecoming and Turnabout that is different from other schools is that junior and senior groups have a theme. So upperclassmen have another added worry making sure they order their costumes in time for the dance.
With the changing world as well, some students have difficulty making sure that the themes are appropriate. “Our group came up with two ideas and the school said no to both,” said junior Matt Kann, “we wanted to do cowboys and indians, but the school wouldn’t let us. And since I already bought my costume, I wasted sixty dollars.”