Ninety-two couples took part in this year's Debutante Balls which were held on 26 and 27 April at Melbourne Town Hall, with 44 couples taking to the floor on the Friday night and 48 on the Saturday. The students had been learning their dances with Sassi Dance studio since the start of the year and they were wonderful on both nights. Each couple was presented to Principal Phil Morison and his wife Jenny, accompanied by a short biography about themselves.
There was plenty of dancing on both nights, with students invited to ask a special person to dance with them after the formalities were finished and this was a special moment. The students also continued the tradition of adding a bit of fun to their formal outfits by wearing colourful socks, which they were happy to show off as they went through their final preparations. There were many highlights, but perhaps the most significant were the moments when the students supported each other and when they danced with their 'special person' (including mums, dads, grandparents, carers, aunts or uncles) — all of which celebrates a lot of what makes MLMC special.
Well done and thank you to everyone involved for the massive amount of work and effort that went into making both nights so successful and the experience such a meaningful night for the students and their families, particularly Mrs Emily Cerra (Registrar — Community Engagement), Mr Neal Haining (Year 11 Level Leader) and Mrs Tamara Rundle (Year 11 Assistant Level Leader). Thank you to all of the staff who supported, encouraged and laughed with students, took photos, corralled, sewed up, located missing gloves and danced with the students. Thank you also to those who supervised dance rehearsals in the weeks leading up to the event and we thank Laura Nation and Deleane Leach from the Parents and Friends’ Association who were on the organising committee.
Here are some student reflections from the event:
Since Year 7 the countdown for the Debutante Ball had begun and it was finally here. It was an early start to the day for most of us but with the excitement building, being tired was the least of our worries. Putting on the white dress made it all real — an event our friends had been talking about for the last four years, and today was the day. The energy when we arrived was amazing. Seeing the Saturday group coming together made us feel like one big family. Most couples were nervous but the support from everyone around us was something we will never forget. When we finally got presented, we all felt so proud of the young people we are becoming and standing up on stage in front of our families was a perfect way to display this. We couldn’t wait to show everyone our dances and just how much time and effort we had put into learning and perfecting them. Deb was the most amazing night and to experience it with such a great group of people made it all the more special. — Maddy George (Year 11 Orange)
What an experience! The day consisted of laughs, smiles and tears — from waking at 7am for the makeup and hair appointments that were scheduled five months ago to mum taking that one extra photo. Practice involved standing in a line for what felt like forever and then getting on stage and realising how nervous and scared we really were. We all tried our best not to mess up, with thoughts of Kathy, our dance instructor, in the back of our heads. I can remember when it was time for the deb to actually start just how excited everyone was. We did our dances and then the real dance party began. The support from the teachers was amazing and the amount of effort and commitment that was put into the deb for us was truly the highlight. We especially send a big thank you to Mrs Cerra. Deb was truly one of the best nights ever and will be the highlight of my schooling life. Thank you to all who were involved. — Kirra Smark (Year 11 Green)
Deb — the day we had all been looking forward to since Year 7 (or even earlier)! It was such an amazing experience, having fun getting my nails, hair, makeup and tan done. It was so great to see everyone dressed up and having a great time with our wonderful families watching us in the audience. It was an amazing day, hanging out with my friends in the limo — especially when your dresses take up the whole limo. One of my favourite parts of the night was the dances where you could showcase all you have learnt. Overall, it was a fabulous night full of lots of photos and fun. I am really thankful, it is really worthwhile. — Molly Bollaart (Year 11 Bronze)
