On March 28th, Bellingham High School gave their students a night to remember with their annual TOLO dance. Officially announced on March 6th, ASB’s Activities Coordinator Tierra Bonner, Communications Director Sophia Dionne, and President Maggie Jordan shared a reel on the @bhshypehawks Instagram to declare the theme for the dance as “Oceana.” The video included a joke that circulated around the school when the account first asked for initial suggestions for themes, with many students referring to their favorite social media app, TikTok. With the release of the video, various promotional posters for the event filled the halls of BHS, and the daily announcement quickly followed suit with ticket prices and spirit week.
Comparable to Bellingham High School’s yearly Homecoming dance, the announcement of the dance indicated a week of spirit put together by students apart from the Leadership class. Eventually, the spirit week themes were finalized with posters around the school and a post on the @bhshypehawks account on Instagram reminding students about the themes. The schedule was as follows:
Monday – Marine Life (or wear blue)
Tuesday – Tamatoa Tuesday (or wear purple)
Wednesday – Save the Turtles (VSCO Girl)
Thursday – Surfers vs. Bikers
Friday – Coral Wars
- 12th graders: Pink
- 11th graders: Blue
- 10th graders: Green
- 9th graders: Orange
But at the center of Bellingham’s TOLO traditions, there is competition amongst classes. Similar to years prior, all four classes competed against each other with TOLO skits, each assigned different themes that correlated with the overall theme of “Oceana.” The Seniors chose first, picking the theme of “Pirates of Caribbean” but showing to the assembly hosted on March 28th with a Moana themed skit, the Juniors held their surfboards up by honoring the movie “Surf’s Up!”, the Sophomores reminding us of a fan-favorite childhood show with “SpongeBob”, and the Freshmen making their debut skit with “Jaws.” Though, only one class could take the crown, and for their second year in a row, the Class of 2026’ won the class cup with their outstanding participation!
Following the assembly, doors for the dance opened at 8 P.M. with tickets being exchanged for entry within the music hallway. Tickets were sold across the week prior, with escalating prices depending on how late you bought them. As BHS continues to keep up their annual tradition of dress-up days and entertaining skits, what will classes bring to the table next year?
