The conditions of the Coast dance have always seemed potentially hazardous, and this year changes are necessary in order to adhere to safety codes. The number of students at the dance last year far exceeded regulations and broke fire codes, and this year the Coast Board faces the tricky task of finding a new, safe way to continue the tradition. The Harbor Island location is simply too small to accommodate all of the students who want to attend which leaves members of student council with the difficult job of locating an inexpensive venue that has a capacity larger than 500.

            The dance is open to all four grades at Rye Neck and Mamaroneck high schools, and last year approximately 550 students attended, two hundred more than the building at the Harbor can fit. A few different solutions to the problem have been suggested: having a first-come-first-serve policy and closing the dance off after the capacity has been reached; selling a limited amount of tickets in advance; splitting the dance into two dances, one with juniors and seniors only, and the other with freshmen and sophomores; and holding the dance in the Palmer Gym.

            The only other dances offered to MHS students are the proms and St. Vincent’s. These formal dances are expensive and grade-specific so, to many students, the Coast is the single dance available to them. Limiting the number of students who can attend the dance seems like an unfair way to handle the issue. The greatest thing about Coast is its availability to everyone, and selling tickets or keeping late-comers out would result in many frustrated teenagers. Requiring people to buy tickets in advance would leave out those who might decide to go spontaneously. In addition, it would be almost impossible to ensure that everyone gets a chance to attend the much desired event. More than likely, some students would be present at both while some would never get to experience the wonders of a high school dance. Yet another problem the Coast Board faces is the possibility that the dance will become less popular. Without all of one’s friends there, it might become less exciting and therefore not worth it. If other members of the grade are elsewhere, it is likely that students, especially upperclassmen, will leave for alternative plans. To diminish the popularity of the Coast would be an extremely unfortunate outcome that should be avoided at all costs.

            The Coast has always been offered to every grade, and that element contributes greatly to its widespread attractiveness. Separating the upperclassmen from the lowerclassmen would dramatically change the atmosphere of the dance, and many sophomores might be upset if they were massed with the freshmen. The Coast is supposed to be a school-wide social event, and if it were divided, the dance would simply not be the same. In reality, sophomores and seniors don’t usually get the opportunity to mingle or hang out. However, with the adoption of events such as the Coast, members of all grades can dance with or talk to people they would not necessarily spend time with otherwise. Other issues arise when attempting to divide grades. First of all, for juniors or seniors with freshmen or sophomore boyfriends or girlfriends, this division is unfair and frustrating. For couples, the Coast is a great way to hang out together, and any interference would be annoying to students.

            Moving the venue of the Coast to the Palmer Gym is the best possible solution to this problem. The holding capacity of the gym would allow students from all grades to attend without violating any fire laws. The administration is reluctant to host the dance at the school, for many valid reasons. They presented the student council with very legitimate concerns including graffiti and high costs of security. With 65 doors that cannot be locked from the inside for safety reasons, administrators fear that in order to ensure that students are not wandering the halls of school doing illegal activities, many guards will be needed. This proves expensive and unreasonable for a four hour dance. The other main anxiety is that a dance as large as the Coast will attract unwanted people to the school.  It is the school’s responsibility to make sure both the school and the students are safe, and this means taking extra precautions regarding strangers and potential predators. With this said, the student council is optimistic that such problems can be ameliorated through careful planning. If the class advisors are stationed at the four main doors leading from the Palmer Gym into the school, and a table selling refreshments blocks off the entrance by the boys’ locker room, there should be no opportunities for students to roam the school when they aren’t supposed to. Those who argue that changing the location would fundamentally alter the dance must realize that the building at the harbor is not the Coast; the Coast is all four grades coming together for one big dance, and this is the only realistic way for that tradition to continue.