By: Alex Coleman [Ads Editor] @AlexColeman831

Inside the gym on Saturday April 5th, a large group of students were gathered for a memorable evening. That’s right, prom. The girls were dressed to the nines, the dresses ranging from pink princess gowns to lavender mermaid dresses; the guys managed to look quite dapper in either black, white, or grey tuxedos. Amidst all of the fancy shoes and elaborate hair styles, something far less classy was taking place. It happens at every single school dance, and it’s something that everyone seems to continue talking about: grinding.

While grinding may be a safe, fun way to release sexual urges, it is far from sophisticated. Most high school students would disagree with that statement, claiming that grinding is simply dancing. However, other students would argue that one individual grinding their butt into another persons groin is not dancing.

At some other schools in the Marion/Cedar Rapids area, the students are not allowed to grind at dances. Some MHS students have been to other school’s dances where grinding is not allowed would say that they had more fun because they can actually dance. There’s nothing wrong with moving your hips or dancing with someone, but really, what is appealing about bouncing from left to right for three hours? Why is grinding a right of passage in the high school experience?

Students should be encouraged to actually dance at occasions such as Prom, since that is what the point of dances are anyway; students who opt out of the sweaty, gyrating movements and decide to do their own thing and have a good time should not be deemed the weird ones. Compare the two; a couple pressed front to back bouncing back and forth as if on a surfboard, or a group of friends dancing it out. Which one really seems ‘normal’? Although grinding may be the thing to do at high school dances, a breath of space in between bodies may not only make students actually dance, but make the night less uncomfortable and more enjoyable for others.