Van Bokkelen Students Dance the Night Away at Valentine's Ball

 Van Bokkelen Elementary School’s auditorium was bustling with students and their parents dressed to impress at Friday evening's Valentine’s Day Ball.

Throughout the dance, children enjoyed themselves in poufy dresses and snazzy suits. The majority of them were dancing to upbeat pop songs, running through the auditorium, or tossing balloons to one another, only sitting down for a quick sip of Hawaiian Punch or a bite of cake.

And the children weren’t the only ones being active on the dance floor as parents and faculty joined in on popular dance songs like “The Cha Cha Slide” and “Cupid Shuffle.”

Heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and large, fluffy teddy bears were given away to the best dancers.

Families also had the opportunity to have professional pictures taken at the ball. Life Touch photographers were present to take family photographs, which were then printed on site.

More than 300 people purchased tickets for the Valentine’s Ball, whereas PTA events typically bring in approximately 80 people, said Van Bokkelen TA President Catrina Robinson.

The Valentine’s Ball was a record-breaker, Robinson said.

Ticket prices were kept at a low $2 to stay within the budget of the area, Robinson said, but some students were given tickets at no charge because they could not afford to buy them.

Robinson, who pitched the idea to other parents and teachers, said she originally got the concept from her son, a third-grader at Van Bokkelen.“I wanted to do something for the kids,” she said, “and [my son] suggested a Valentine’s Day dance.”

Robinson said that parents were all for the idea of a Valentine’s Day Ball, but it was the children who made it “the biggest deal.”

“[The children] are infatuated with this ball,” Robinson said. “I think it’s because they see their older siblings going to dances. I hope this event stays around. This is surely something the kids will remember.”

Justyn Perez, a first-grader at Van Bokkelen, said he was excited to be at the event and was excited to watch other students dance.

Perez’s grandmother, Joanie Wilson, accompanied him to the ball.

Wilson, who lives in West Virginia, said, “I don’t get to see him much, and he invited me.”

Desrene Williams, the mother of fourth-grader Howard Seals, said the Valentine’s Ball was “a date with her son.”

“I try to do a lot of activities individually with my kids, so this is an opportunity to do that,” Williams said.

Sheldon Faison, who brought his 6-year-old daughter Skylah, said he “couldn’t miss [it]." 

“I’ve been planning on this for a month now,” he said.

Michaela Browning, a fourth grader at Van Bokkelen, said that she was excited to dance with her friends and have fun. In fact, Browning was confident she would take home a prize for her dancing skills.

Browning’s mother, Yoka Browning, said she came to the Valentine’s Day Ball to spend time with her daughters.

“I could be anywhere in the world,” she said, “but I’d rather be here with them.”