Every year, Juniors and Seniors are selected to be a part of one of the most popular high school dances. Cotillion has been a tradition for many years. Cotillion is different in the fact that not everyone is invited, and it is not a school-sponsored activity. Students have to be nominated by their peers to get into the dance. Although it is not funded by the Anchorage School District, the dance involves every school in the district. It is a privilege only offered to juniors and seniors. In order to become a part of the club, a student has to receive nominations from three other students already in Cotillion. Cotillion has been based on tradition for many years. Like my own opinion, other students agree that changing the dance will ruin the tradition. This year, there have been a few major changes that are striking the opinions of many students at Dimond High School. In the past, Cotillion has been held at The Hilton hotel. This year, it will be held at the Marriott. The dress code has also changed. Girls are being asked to dress more conservatively. A dress must now be no shorter than three inches above the knee. These changes are a hot topic in the halls of Dimond. “The tradition is broken, it won’t be the same,” said Senior Connor Toohey. Cotillion has been held at The Hilton of many years. “It also causes a problem with parking, it’s so much easier at The Hilton,” said Toohey. The length of the dress has also been a major controversy for some girls at Dimond. “I’m almost six feet tall, a dress to my knees is like a full length gown for shorter girls,” said Junior Tatyana Johnson. “It’s so hard to find an ‘appropriate’ dress,” said Johnson. “There is a difference between classy and trashy, people just need to learn the difference and we wouldn’t be having this problem. I’ve looked everywhere for a dress that will fit me, the selection is very limited,” said Senior Kristi Lauwers. It will only take time to see if the Cotillion rule changes make a difference. Cotillion is supposed to be a classy nice, more like prom than any other high school dance. It is hard to enforce the rules with so many people there. In my opinion, if the requirements to get into Cotillion were more strict, I think it would clean it up a lot. For example, if a high minimum GPA was required to get into the dance, it would be cleaned up. Also, fewer people would be invited. The dance is a privilege that shouldn’t be taken away from respectful students.