Every year, the student leadership class is faced with the difficult but rewarding challenge of picking a Night of the Stars (NOTS) theme. After trudging through many creative ideas, student leadership has chosen masquerade.

This is going to be an elegant but functional theme that will prove to be fun and fitting for our venue, the newly refurbished Downtown Trade Center: The Grand on 10.

The room will be adorned with deep reds, purples and gold. The ambiance will accomplish the elegant “Phantom of the Opera” atmosphere we are going for.

But all these details are trivial compared to the fun all students will have that night. NOTS is our “Academy Awards” imitation based on the movies each class produced. We will see the future celebrities we have among us and enjoy the creative work of our fellow classmates.

Aside from enjoying the event itself, NOTS is the time to dress up with all your friends and enjoy going all-out with beautiful dresses, funky tuxes, boutonnieres and corsages.

Though masks will not be mandatory, I encourage all students to take advantage of this opportunity to be creative and express their mysterious side. For those who are worrying about where to find this unusual accessory, leadership can make suggestions for those wanting to create their own mask.

So, come on Feb. 20 to our masquerade formal. Whether it is with a group of friends or with a date, you will enjoy this fantastic night with us.

NOTS tickets will go on sale Jan. 25. Tickets will be sold at an early bird rate of $45 per ticket for one week (through Jan. 29 at 3:30 p.m.) by student leadership. After that, tickets may be purchased at the full price of $50. The last day to purchase NOTS tickets is Feb. 17. At the time of ticket purchase, students may be able to designate their table members.