Snowball 2017

The long-awaited Snowball finally arrived with the crisp December air and the heavy anticipation of all Brentwood students. Snowball is a Brentwood tradition: a junior (Grade 9 or 10) can ask a senior (Grades 11 or 12) to be their Snowball date, and the senior must accept the invitation, so on the last Saturday before Winter Break we attend an exquisitely prepared dinner followed by entertainment. I was surprised when someone asked me to be his Snowball date at the beginning of October, and a few days before the final event we went on a memorable Snowball date where I was given little gifts and roses. Saturday afternoon in Allard House was a frenzied one. The girls were putting on their makeup, curling each other’s hair, and helping friends with which shoes went best with their dresses. When six o’clock arrived, we were called down one by one, and our “House Dad”, Mr Smith, walked us down the stairs to meet our date. It was definitely a strange yet heart-warming sight to see the boys I usually joke around and have classes with waiting around nervously in their suits. The rest of the night unveiled smoothly. I exchanged presents with my date, and we went to Crooks Hall - now a delicately decorated ballroom - and chatted as we dined.  After taking photos with my friends and my date, we went early to the hypnotist show and got seats in the front row. Although I desperately wanted to be hypnotized, I wasn’t picked as one of the volunteers. The show was, nevertheless, a highlight of my night. It was absolutely mind-blowing to see how people were actually put to sleep, and they almost drifted off to another dimension on stage. Snowball marked a fantastic ending to 2017. The event was definitely one of my favourite memories of this year, but the process of getting to know someone I otherwise would have missed out on was just as precious. Grace L, Allard ‘19