Last Friday, December 1st, North Hollywood’s Zoo Magnet held its Winter Ball! Zoo Magnet’s student leadership team, Zoo Crew, decorated the campus to fit the dance’s seasonal theme; Winter in Paris. 

Accompanied by festive lights, food, dancing, and a photobooth, students were provided with a lovely night–despite the cold weather. 

Seniors in particular were satisfied with their final Winter Ball. 

Ava Hernandez thinks, “This was a really great last Winter Ball and it was just as fun as previous years. I attended in 2021 and had fun both years. I feel like less and less people do each year, though, which is a bit sad… I think there should be more advocacy with this dance because not only are you supporting Zoo, but because it’s always such a gorgeous night!”

Zoo Magnet student and Zoo Crew member Jamie Pugsley felt similarly. 

“This dance was a lot less hectic than last year’s – perhaps that’s because it wasn’t my first time helping with set up or because it’s senior year, but my friends and I had a lovely night…With this being my last Winter Ball, it was a worthy note to end on,” she said. “I would choose Winter Ball over homecoming every time because the atmosphere is just so much lighter and festive. Winter Ball is something Zoo Mag is known for on main campus, and for good reason! We love getting to share our campus for such a lovely night.”

Fellow senior Zoo student, Sharron Kozin, agreed. “Winter Ball this year, I believe, has been the best it’s ever been!” Kozin shared. 

The dance overall seemed to be a big hit, but the decorations caught most attendees’ eyes. 

Bella Canales, who is a student on North Hollywood’s main campus, attended the ball for the first time this year. “I was able to see the zoo campus for the first time and it was so pretty for such a small area.”

“The decorations were so cute, some were even in French so it went on theme. Signs were legible and easy to follow for someone who didn’t know where anything was,” she added.

Hernandez said, “[The] decor was super pretty. I think the zoo campus always looks gorgeous during each winter ball because they use all the pretty string lights all over the foliage and overall they utilize all the space on campus to make it look really great. A lot of people were taking pictures. It was really great.”

Even students who are on the zoo campus daily agreed. 

“Our decorations made it feel like Winter in Paris, which was hard to pull off,” Kozin noted. 

Pugsley felt, “The decorations, I thought personally, looked phenomenal and I loved the entryway especially.”

The photobooth and dance floor held most people’s attention throughout the evening, as well. 

Pugsley shared her experience, saying, “The photo booth was perfect and I ended up taking four separate photos–which will go straight into my senior memory book!” 

“The music was a mix of music people can dance to or music people can sing to,” Canales remarked.

 “The music was good, although I wish they had played footloose because that’s usually a hit to dance to,” Pugsley added further. 

In between dancing and taking photos with friends, food was also included with the purchase of a ticket to the ball. 

“The food was very good, chosen by Cooper Pittenger, and had a lot of options for people with dietary restrictions which I really appreciated,” Pugsley noted about the Zoo Crew’s decisions for the dance. 

However, despite being inclusive, reviews on the food seemed mixed. 

“Food was mid,” Zachary Haddad stated. 

“The food was really good, tacos are always a hit. I thought they would follow the Paris theme but I’m not complaining,” Hernandez disagreed.

She did, though, go on to say, “Also, I don’t know–I feel like we get tacos every year to eat. In 2021 they had tacos, too. Again not complaining, though, because they were good.”

Canales thought, “The food was great, other than the tortillas for the tacos [and] drinks were available throughout the night, which was great after dancing.”

Another element that attendees struggled with was the weather. 

“It was cold, so that sucked,” Haddad commented. 

Canales added, “It was freezing, but luckily there were heaters nearby and in the classrooms to warm up.”

Huntsman noted similarly, “It was freezing the whole night but there were heaters all around.” 

Hernandez also mentioned, “Although it was cold, they made sure the Photo Booth room and the food and drink room was warm! It was nice to hang out there.”

Pugsley was the outlier, though. She explained, “The weather was surprisingly nice. I was able to go the whole dance without feeling particularly freezing or needing to grab my coat but it still felt like the winter season.”

Despite the low temperatures, students overall seemed to be able to enjoy the evening–making the $35 ticket price worth it.

“The tickets were more expensive this year than last year,” Huntsman stated, “but compared to what I heard about it last year, there were more things this year.”

Canales shared, “The issue for the tickets was easy but I made it harder for myself buying it on the last day. I had to buy mine through a friend at the zoo campus since we weren’t selling them any longer on the main campus.”

On the contrary, Haddah said, “the ticket process was easy peasy, lemon squeezy.” 

“I would say ticketing has gotten easier as time has progressed and much clearer regarding instructions for what to bring in order to get into the dance. the price was reasonable, especially because it included food,” Pugsley expressed.

“The ticketing process this year was well-organized, as we saw more North Hollywood kids attend since we sold on the main campus, the zoo campus, and online,” Kozin said.

“This was my last winter ball but it was my favorite since I felt as if everything was near perfect; food was good, the DJ played fun songs, the photobooth was picture perfect, and the atmosphere was amazing!” she concluded.

Photos by NHHS Zoo Crew.