Dear DSHS Community,
We are writing to share our plans and thoughts for upcoming dances. We know that these events are important to students. DJUSD and Davis Senior High School are committed to the work of including students in important decision making and co-constructing a culture that is characterized by safety and engagement.
We know there has been an increase in demand to attend school dances and other school events post-pandemic. In addition to offering more dances, we intend to prioritize different grades for each dance to ensure that everyone has at least one opportunity to go to a dance each year. Please find our currently planned DSHS dances/events and their locations for the 23-24 school year below (may be subject to change):
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Homecoming Dance (all students)- DSHS
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Winter Fest Dance (Sophomore Priority) - DSHS
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Winter Ball Dance (Junior Priority) - DSHS
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Senior Ball (Prom) Dance (Senior Priority) - Sacramento
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Dance or Carnival (all students) - DSHS
The safety of our students and staff at all Davis Senior High School events is our primary focus. As a result, DJUSD and DSHS leadership have determined there will be a student attendance cap of 800 for school dances based on the following reasons:
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The North Gym is the largest DJUSD indoor venue with a maximum capacity of 834. As we must include staff and chaperones in that count, 800 is the highest number of tickets we can sell.
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The DJUSD and DSHS leadership teams, who have supervised many dances (some with more than 800), believe that a cap of 800 students and a 1:30 chaperone/staff to student ratio allows for adequate supervision in order to keep students and staff safe. Specifically, we must be able to adequately monitor the dance floor and surrounding areas for unsafe behavior (drug/alcohol use, sexual assault, and/or violence) in a timely manner given an event with dancing and low lighting.
Finally, it is important to note that dances are student-run and supported by our school staff and administration. As a result, we have limited capacity to implement more school events, of which dances are one part.
Sincerely,
Bryce Geigle, Principal
Matt Duffy, Director of Secondary Education and Leadership
Matt Best, Superintendent
Image from Dance Vectors by Vecteezy