By JESSE GRAHAM
A RITE of passage night for Healesville High School students moving into their final year was held earlier this month, when Year 11s took to the dance for their debutante ball.
On Friday 17 July, 46 Healesville High School students took part in their annual debutante ball at Ringwood’s Karralyka Centre, taking to the floor dressed to the nines for the special night.
Principal George Perini and events co-ordinator Lisa Mathieson said the night was “an outstanding success”, with 291 guests coming along to watch the ball and celebrate.
Mr Perini said the event was in its fourth year since the Rotary Club of Healesville ceased organising it, and that the night went off without a hitch.
Yarra Ranges councillor Fiona McAllister presented the debutantes with their sashes, and the students performed dance routines they had been practising for the last 10 weeks.
Ms Mathieson said the students performed classical dances, to modern songs chosen by the group.
“We try to keep it as current as we can,” she said.
“The kids had put on the songs they chose – we built it around them, to keep them happy.”
Mr Perini said the participation in the event had grown in previous years, after the event was separated from Rotary and the rules changed so only school students could take part in the ball.
“There was quite a bit of pressure on the school to run it, but they wanted to run it under the old conditions, that anyone could be partnered,” he said.
“We held a line around it that, no, it’s a school function, therefore all partners have to be from the school.
“I think that makes the whole thing better – they’re all part of the school community.”
Though debutante balls have old-fashioned connotations, Mr Perini said the event was more modern, and akin to proms run in American high schools.
“Women were presented to society and available for marriage – that was the old tradition,” he said.
“Now, it’s a bit more like growing up and getting ready to leave school, thinking of the future and what’s your direction?
“It’s just a modern context – I think it’s taken on a bit more of what an American prom is, as opposed to the old debutante tradition and what the old format was.”
To fit with this modern context, Ms Mathieson said the students had a choice of a live band or a DJ on the night -this year’s group chose a DJ, and danced right though to stumps at 11pm.
