The Sadie Hawkins dance made its debut at CCS in 2022 and has continued ever since. Although many students partake in this exciting social event, many fail to know the background behind the dance itself. Believe it or not, the idea of Sadie Hawkins dances originally came from an old comic strip called Li’l Abner, which is set in the fictional town of Dogpatch. There was one day every November called “Sadie Hawkins Day.” It was named after Sadie, the daughter of Dogpatch’s earliest settlers who failed to catch a husband. Sadie’s father gathered all the single men of the town and let the single women chase them, marrying whoever they caught. 

The CCS dance was planned by the Sophomore SGA alongside Meredith Mente and  Donovan Law. The neon theme was inspired by the 1980s roller rink culture of bright colors and arcade games! Students across the high school were invited to spend the evening flashing back to a time of big hair, MTV and memorable pop culture! 

The Set Up

The sophomores on the SGA were allowed to set up and design Sadies this year! They invested months into the process. They utilized Amazon, purchasing multiple 80’s and neon-themed decorations to immerse the students in the theme. The sophomore leaders had amazing ideas such as hanging slinkies from the ceiling, throwing up twinkle lights, setting up a Photo Booth, decorating with balloons throughout the halls, setting up a stage and putting up many gaming machines such as Pac-Man and a basketball game. There was even a DJ on stage! The setup took around three hours involving the sophomore SGA and volunteers. 

Pre-dance

The night entails far more than just the dance itself. Pre-dance preparation ranges far and wide from picking out a dress to picking up the date, making the dinner reservations and, of course, the pictures! Before attending the dance, many grouped to enjoy dinner at various places around Charlotte. The top choices for restaurants for this year were 800° Carolinas, Chilis, Cafe Monte and even a quick bite at Chick-fil-A! Picture locations ranged from Phillips Place to Firethorne Country Club, to the front porches of students’ homes! The dance itself also provided a fun photo booth station and mural beside the dance floor to capture the memories made throughout the night!

Dance Recap

The Sadies Dance floor floor was electric!  As the night continued, many were running up to the music mixer to request their favorite songs to continue the fun! Though the lights were dim, the room was lit up by colored lights that fit the 80s theme.

Snacks were provided for the students that were displayed outside the dance. Students were able to take quick breaks to enjoy iced tea, popcorn and pigs in a blanket. The sophomores had also made sure there was plenty of water which was good planning on their part. This way, the students could stay hydrated while they danced the night away!

For the first time since the class of 2020 homecoming, the dance was held in the auxiliary gym. The sophomores set a good example of what to do for future dances. Even though the budget for Sadies is not as much as prom or homecoming, the sophomores were able to pull off a successful dance and made sure that Sadies would be hard to miss in the coming years!

As February comes to an end, Prom season begins: girls begin to search for the perfect dress, groups begin to discuss dinner and picture locations, boys decide who they want to ask and SGA begins putting all the planning into action as the date approaches! The CCS student body is eager for the next few months of prom preparations!