This past Friday, our seniors, along with seniors from Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, joined together for some friendly Christmas competition, fueled by sisterhood and brotherhood. Polar Palooza is one of the most coveted senior traditions, a six-round lip sync and dance battle between both schools.
“This is one of the best traditions, and I’m so happy with the way it turned out, and it was such a good night,” student body president Georgette Galvez-Cuesta said.
Prior to the dance, the festive week kicked off with mass held at Belen’s chapel, where participants enjoyed a holy moment together before the big day.
“Having the mass really helped us get centered on what the event really was for: having a good time while collecting toys for kids in need,” senior Maia Lorenzo said.
While being a competition, annually the event collects over a thousand toys for hospitals around Miami. This year was no different, with the Belen Roca Theatre being packed with toys and an audience eager to watch the performances.
“Seeing the theater full was so inspiring since we’ve worked so much over these past three weeks, having practice almost every morning at 6 am,” said senior Rosalinda D’Alto.
The entire event took about two hours and featured several creative performances from both sides. Belen kicked off the night with a performance inspired by college game day, featuring the boys wearing striped overalls and alluding to different college chants. Lourdes answered back with their own version of the Barden Bellas. The following round featured a Belen performance where robbers stole the trophy and Lourdes had a dance dedicated to F1 called Elf1.
Following this, there was a visit from Elphaba? Not literally, but the Wolverines were able to suspend one of their students and portray the final scene of Elphaba singing. This jaw-dropping moment garnered much applause from the crowd.
“When I saw the guy get raised up by, like, a crane and start singing Wicked, I was laughing so hard since that’s kind of a girly movie. I loved how they used that,” senior Emma Moran said.
Lourdes had their own tricks up their sleeve with the group Caught Red-Handed wearing glow-in-the-dark panthers and having neon lightsabers. Other fan favorites from both sides included Polar Palooza University (PPU), Falalala Fangirls, Santa’s Soldiers, and Three Queens: World Tour.
“The dances this year were so creative, and the themes were outside of the box,” senior parent Maite Villena said.
Although Belen took home the trophy, the night was still a success, combining a competitive spirit backed by serving the community. Countless toys were donated while lifelong memories were created for these two senior classes. This year’s Polar Palooza continues to establish itself as a time-honored senior tradition, celebrating both competitions and also connection.
