Sessions with Sydney is a weekly column by features editor Sydney Ray. For more installments of Sydney’s ideas, opinions and ramblings, check out the opinions page, and check back every Friday for a new issue.
Despite this being my senior and final year at FC, I decided not to attend one of the most exciting social events of the year: Night of the Stars (NOTS). The event took place on Feb. 20, but I was nowhere to be found.
Instead, I called the spontaneous yet relaxing evening I had “not-NOTS.” I spent the night at dinner with my boyfriend and watching movies with friends.
“Why won’t you come to NOTS?” a group of friends asked me. They would pester me on a weekly basis to see if I had changed my mind and attempted to convince me how much fun I would have by going.
Why? Maybe I just was not excited enough about the event and have little-to-no school spirit.
Maybe I decided not to attend because I could not afford to buy an expensive new dress along with all the necessary accessories and to pay for nail, hair and make-up appointments out of my own pocket.
But when it comes down to it, the main reason I did not attend NOTS this year is because I just did not have the time or energy to spend extensively preparing for the event.
Specifically, I did not have the time to look for a dress a month ahead of time. And the thought of spending literally an entire day preparing my perfectionist self for four to five hours of fun terrified me.
The financial issue was a small part of it as well. My parents have taken a new attitude this year and believe that since I am almost 18, I am on my own financially in terms of social activities and “fun stuff.”
My close friend, Amanda Edwards, ’10, also decided not to attend. She spent her not-NOTS at a friend’s house. Edwards and 10 of her friends snacked while playing XBox and World of Warcraft, a computer game.
Edwards, who describes herself as a “casual, low-key kind of girl,” was glad she did not attend.
“I had a lot of fun playing video games and relaxing, while not having to worry about my dress, my hair, and looking perfect. I am glad I did not go. My birthday is in the same month, and it is just too much. I just can’t afford it.”
Edwards also says NOTS can become dull after having attended it once.
“I had already experienced it freshman year, so it was okay,” she said.
Sophomore Lisa Lumeya looks at the situation in a different way.
“I am only a sophomore, so I have two more years to go,” Lumeya said. “I didn’t feel the need to spend all the money to enjoy just one short evening. Most of my friends did not go, so we planned on just hanging out that night anyways.”
The night was spent in a more enjoyable way by having dinner out and seeing a movie, Lumeya claims.
“From what I heard about the night, I think I had more fun staying home with my friends, because the people I knew who went said NOTS was not that much fun,” Lumeya said. “I think I made the right decision by staying home, but in the future I want to go with a whole bunch of friends to make it more fun.”
Although most of my friends went, I too felt glad I had made the choice not to attend NOTS. Rather than wearing myself out, I rested and recovered from the long week that had made me exhausted.
I do appreciate all the effort that the leadership staff put into this event in order to make it an enjoyable evening. They have been slaving away for months in order to finalize the arrangements.
I am not discouraging other students from attending future events – I have enjoyed my NOTS experiences in years past. While some say it is not that fun, NOTS is truly what you make of it. For me this meant not attending, but for others it could be a night to remember.
