Students and their fathers had dinner and danced the night away at the annual Father-Daughter dance at the Sheraton in Overland Park, KS Saturday, Feb. 9.

“I thought the dance was really fun,” sophomore Kate McCarthy said. “I thought the theme was better this year, and the food was really good; I liked the burgers.”

The theme for the dance was “Pink Ladies,” which was a reference to the 1978 movie Grease. The decorations were all 1950s themed, with vinyl records and paper convertible cars on the centerpieces and retro diner-themed photo opportunities.

“A lot of the younger people and even some seniors dressed up for the 50s theme,” junior Anna McQueeny said, “so that was super fun.”

Many students dressed up to the theme, with some students wearing “Pink Ladies” jackets and some wearing poodle skirts and fabric-wrapped ponytails.

“I saw one or two dads and a few students dress up in theme, and I wish more people would do that,” theology teacher Paul Kramschuster said. “I think it’d be fun if the push was that we dressed up in whatever theme it was.”

The theme was considerably better than past years’ themes for some students. McQueeny said that the 1950’s motif was well incorporated and executed throughout the dance and made for a more enjoyable experience.

“I really liked the theme,” McQueeny said. “I thought they blended it out throughout the whole area and everything with the little cars and the burgers and the chips and all of that.”

The dinner served was 1950s themed as well, with the main course being burger sliders, mac and cheese and potato chips. For dessert, a chocolate chip cookie was served, and attendees had the opportunity to pour their own milkshakes from a milkshake bar.

“I was really impressed with the food,” McQueeny said, “and the dancing was really fun with all the dads just getting down.”

After dinner, the seniors’ fathers all got up on stage and performed for their daughters, entertaining with a prearranged rendition of “My Girl” by The Temptations and “We Are The Champions” by Queen. The seniors then serenaded their fathers with an altered version of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver.

“I thought the dads did a good job this year with their song,” Kramschuster said. “I like how they did a mix of different songs.”

After the seniors finished performing, the dance floor was opened up to all students and their fathers to dance. The band Kokomo performed at the dance for their 35th year and played a mix of hits from the 1950s to more modern music.

“My favorite part was dancing with my dad because he actually told me that the last time he danced with me was freshman year,” McQueeny said, “so it was really sweet to see him kind of let loose and have fun.”