Westbury High School’s Battle of the Classes took place during the seventh and eighth period Homecoming Pep Rally in the auditorium on Oct. 28. Along with giving acknowledgements to the schools’ various sports teams and reading aloud the names of all the players and cheerleaders, each grade puts together a dance performance with the winner determined by four judges. This year, Head Judge Rosemarie Rojas and judges Koriene Petrelli, Faida Guerrier, and Nicholas Monioudis announced the Sophomore Class the victors. This marked the second consecutive win for the 10th-graders. “All of the performances were amazing,” Petrelli stated. “Each performance is unique and all of the students put their hard work and effort into their performances. It takes a lot to get up on stage in front of the whole school and perform. It is always hard to choose a winner.” 

Adorned in costumes and spirit wear such as green and gold clothing and face paint, the participants of every grade brought plenty of energy and spirit to the stage that day. “I think the performance went very well,” said 10th-grader Iris Sawyer. “I was surprised that we won because we all thought the juniors would win since their performance was good.” Her second year competing, Sawyer said she finds it fun to compete and plans on doing so again next year.

“It was obviously a very close battle, but the Sophomore Class won fair and square,” said Breanna St. Hilaire, another 10th-grade performer. “Last year was a shocking surprise when we won, [and] so was this year. But … the energy was the same; it felt like we all were supposed to be there dancing together.” She explained that they prepared by “[staying] after school putting props together, creating the song, dancing together, and practicing timing” and that “the amount of time [they] put into it definitely paid off.” St. Hilaire also plans on competing again next year, saying that she “feels like it’s good to participate in things that involve your class.” Sophomore Class Co-Advisor Ashley Hinton admitted that they “felt nervous going into the performance, but it felt like we had a good shot at winning.” Co-Advisor Linda Grisafi agreed, stating that they felt “confident and very nervous,” but were prepared as they practiced basically four times a week from the moment the theme was released. When the judges declared them the winners, Hinton said they “felt overwhelmed with joy. We jumped up and down, high fives, screaming. It was nice to see the kids hug each other. They were from different social groups which allowed them to get to know and work with students from outside of their social circle.”

While they didn’t get to celebrate a win, the other classes still enjoyed their time preparing and performing their routines. “Our students loved the retro theme for our dance battle. They created their own mix and choreography. We are so proud of their creativity!” said Junior Class Co-Advisors Sarah St. John and Melissa Galvin. “We are so proud of our students’ performance! It was 100% their own and we wouldn’t have asked for it to go any other way!” they continued. Freshman Class Co-Advisors Michael Villanti and Nadine Schalk held rehearsals with their dancers three days a week for a month. “The girls did the choreography, I told them to input some dances from the 90s, which I gladly demonstrated. Yes, they laughed at me, but got the hint; it [C+C Music Factory’s, Gonna Make You Sweat] was a ‘retro’ song,” he quipped. Villanti also stated that he “loved watching the dance battle, since the girls choreographed the entire dance. They were very nervous since they were the first team to dance, but I honestly think they set the bar for everyone else to reach.” It is for that reason that he was very surprised by the judges’ decision, noting that “the freshmen dancers actually choreographed an entire routine from start to finish … Choreography and synchronicity were two criteria, and the freshmen were the only class to stay together the whole time.” However he is determined to come back “bigger and better … The Sophomores will win next year!” he proclaimed. 

Head Judge Rojas provided some insight on how the winner was chosen. “The 9th grade had wonderful use of space, transitioned well between line formations, incorporated retro dance steps along with a nice variation of modern steps. The repetition of movement was kept minimal to keep the audience engaged. Although the 10th grade was not as synchronized and some movements became repetitive, they incorporated the athletes into their performance, used props and involved the audience. Their high energy won the majority of the judges’ votes. The 11th grade had nice projections on the screen and although their performance was short, the students were energetic, and it was entertaining. The 12th grade went more towards a freestyle dance as opposed to a synchronized choreography … It was close between the 9th and 10th grade scores,” she said. 

Regardless of the outcome, those involved enjoyed working with their classes and getting to watch the different performances. “I have been the head judge for several years. Since our return to activities from COVID, the Battle of the Classes has improved and there has been more student participation again which is wonderful to see … [I’m] looking forward to seeing what the students prepare for next year!” Rojas stated.

Gallery • 14 Photos

Alexandra Garcia