Sweat dripping from the ceiling, energetic teenagers bouncing up and down, students visibly grinning from ear to ear: it may sound like a snapshot from a different era. But after two years, students relished a night of moshing and dancing the night away at the annual Sno-Ball. 

Sno-Ball has been a SLUH upperclassmen tradition for many years now. However, the Covid-19 pandemic forced the dance to be cancelled last year. This year, the dance made a full return, giving the upperclassmen an evening of enjoyment and fun as the long winter months begin to wind down. 

“(Sno-Ball) has always been an off-campus dance for the juniors and seniors in the middle of winter. It is designed as a way to give some life in the dead of winter,” said STUCO moderator Megan Menne. “January and February are long, cold, and dark months, so Sno-ball provides some life for the upperclassmen.”

Sno-Ball has always been hosted at an off-campus location in an effort to provide students with an escape from the monotony of the SLUH building. This year, the dance was hosted at the Majorette, a wedding venue located in Maplewood. With a wide dance floor, plenty of appetizers, a mezzanine for relaxing, and even a bar serving alcohol free beverages, the atmosphere was set for a perfect evening of moshing and enjoying one another's presence.

“The Majorette was great that you could come down and mosh on this huge dance floor, or if that wasn’t your cup of tea you could go up on the mezzanine and simply observe,” said senior Matt Kluba. “The vibes it provided were just incredible.” 

When planning the dance, STUCO encountered many scheduling issues. The racquetball team was competing in state and hockey was facing off against Vianney later that evening. Wanting to have a strong turnout at both the hockey game and the dance, the moderators decided to move the dance to 6:30 instead of the usual 7:30. 

“We had to maneuver a little bit more this year in regards to scheduling with hockey, basketball and racquetball, but I think in the end that probably turned out well,” said Menne. “A lot of people were able to go to Sno-Ball and attend the athletic events, so it seems like everybody was having a lot of fun during all of it.”

After taking photos in dashing outfits with their dates and enjoying nice dinners, students headed to the Majorette, where they were greated by the friendly faces of teachers and breathalyzed before entering the venue.

“My favorite part of the dance was getting breathalyzed by Mr. McKernan because I love Mr. McKernan and I didn’t know he was going to be there so I was so excited to see him,” said senior class president AJ Thompson.

Once students had cleared the notorious breathalyzer and checked in, they were greeted by the rambunctious sounds of laughter and moshing. For the remainder of the evening, the upperclassmen simply danced the night away, showcasing moves ranging from the worm to the splits.

“It was extremely fun, I could not have thought of a better way to spend my time surrounded by friends,” said junior Cody Cox. “Also doing the splits multiple times has left me very sore so don’t expect to see that again.”

Inside, the Majorette was packed with students and their dates. STUCO sold almost every ticket, nearly maxing out the venue's 500 person capacity. This was the largest Sno-Ball crowd in recent memory, showing the desire that students have to be part of a community once again.

“Selling so many tickets just shows how connected we are,” said senior Ismael Karim. “You had a really diverse group of people that go to the dance, from so many different clubs and sports, and you just see them all having a good time together and enjoying each other's company.”

As the night began to wind down and the students’ dance moves had imprinted sweat stains inside their jackets, people started filing for the exits, their fleeing briefly interrupted when Thompson overtook the mic and led the upperclassmen in a classic O When the Bills chant. 

But once the energy of the chant died down, the crowds once again flocked to the exit. However, they were not in a rush to drive to an after party. Instead, many were headed to Centene Arena in St. Charles where they witnessed the hockey team defeat Vianney 3-2 and advance to the Challenge Cup.

“Even if we have a dance and a hockey game on the same night, we don’t have to choose one event over the other. We can have a strong student presence at both,” said Kluba. “It was awesome seeing so many people in formal attire and watching the hockey bills take the win and advance to state.”