By Annie Nesbitt ’13 Contributor
Unusual couples consisting of parents and their children will assemble on the dance floor this Saturday April 24 at Livingston Lodge from 8 to 11 p.m. The Odd Couples Dance, a CCDS tradition for juniors, seniors, and their parents, is annually organized by the Parents Association. Many juniors and seniors look forward to attending, while others are full of embarrassment at the mere thought.
The Odd Couples Dance was organized by a committee consisting of Mrs. Sylvia Cofer, Mrs. Nicole Willingham, Mrs. Jane Flexter, Mrs. Mindy Weigel, and Mrs. Audrey Fitzgerald, who are all mothers of Country Day juniors and seniors. Mrs. Fitzgerald explained the traditions of the dance, saying, “The dance is a Junior/Senior event that has been held for the last 8 years. It is an opportunity for parents and students to attend a social event together. The idea is that mothers attend with sons, fathers with daughters, but many times both parents attend.”
The dance has been a great success in the past according seniors Anna Lemen and Becky Hartle. Lemen said, “It was so much fun last year, and it will be more fun this year because we’re seniors.” Hartle agreed with Lemen, adding that she “would recommend the dance to younger students because college is coming up, it’s one of the last times to hang with your parents.”
Some students who have never been to the Odd Couples Dance before also feel that it will be “weird” or “awkward” dancing to old music with their parents. However, many veterans of the dance say quite the contrary. “It’s lots of fun and kind of embarrassing, but a good time,” commented Hartle. “Every parent is embarrassing, but everyone is used to it,” said Lemen. Lemen added that being afraid of embarrassment is “stupid because all parents embarrass their kids.”
Despite the excitement of some students, others are too embarrassed by their parents to attend. Alex Meixner ’11 said that he won’t be attending the dance “because [his] mom is insane.” Many seniors who have previously attended the event said that being embarrassed doesn’t matter too much. Kandie Keidel, ’10, said, “My dad can’t dance, but I think it’s the cutest thing ever!” Mrs. Fitzgerald agreed, saying that “the parents and kids actually do dance together; often enjoying the music from the parent’s high school years more than today’s music.”
Caroline Perrin ’11, unlike Meixner, is excited for the dance. She is looking forward to this because she believes that it will be more fun than regular dances because of the variety of music and because she “[loves] dancing with [her] dad”.
The tradition is not lost in the minds of parents, either. According the Mrs. Fitzgerald, “The parents enjoy the opportunity to visit together. We hope the tradition continues!”
Photo by Ellis Frederick