Tale 28 - Whatever happened to the Mysterious Girl?

The biggest single social event in most Secondary School now is the Prom.

Thirty years ago when I started teaching, Proms were either non existent or very low key in UK schools

So what was big bag then? What created fever pitch excitement!

There is no question! 

It was the School Disco!!

When I first started at Holy Trinity, the demand from lower school for a school disco was mad! It became a regular end of half term Friday event!

So what did it involve for me as the organiser? Well I had to;

1. Book the School Hall from 4pm to 7pm.
2. Secure a DJ.
3. Buy sack fulls of rocket fuel sweets, pop, ice pops and crisps to sell.
4. Make sure tickets were sold fairly.

Number 4 was especially important. If a child missed out on the school disco because they had not been informed of price, sale times etc there would be rivers of tears.

The day of the disco was hilarious. 

Children brought two bags to school. 

One with school books in, one with the fashionable clothes and accessories for the evening of entertainment. It was obvious which bag was most important!

At 3.15pm the DJ would arrive. He/she made easy money. All the DJ needed was the top 20 and a few retro hits.Oh, and obviously the last dance music, always a slow one. 

At 3.30pm, the students would flood to the changing rooms. Every time the girls changing room door was opened the strong odour of hairspray filtered out -  big hair was in! 

As for the boys, it was gel, a comb and cheap aftershave. The mirrors were prized spots as everyone was desperate to look their best for the very posh school hall!

So the disco music starts. 

The queue starts to increase by the door. The punters holding their prized disco ticket like it was giving them access to ‘Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.’

I start to let the eager punters in. 

The Girls - Big hair and high heels they can’t walk in. Many in oversized jumpers that were the fashion, but they will pay for as the small hall gets warmer and warmer. 

The Boys - Hair shining and crusty due to overkill on the blue hair gel. Faint smell and sting of aftershave they have stolen from dad.

Initially the dance floor is quiet. No one wants to make the first move. Then a group of girls dance in a circle. This encourages others.

There was always one, always a boy, who thought he could break dance. His efforts at the fly were not to be missed. It is a good job technology was not big then and video phones were not available. The videos would now be gold on Facebook!

What about the music? Well from memory, this were the bangers, and in some cases shockers, that filled the dance floor!

1993 Mr Vain - Culture Beat , Mr Blobby - Mr Blobby. 

1994 Saturday Night - Whigfield, Like to Move it - Reel to Real ft Mad Stuntman

1995 Cotton Eye Joe - Rednex, Don’t Stop (Wiggle Wiggle) - Outhere Bros 

1996 3 Lions - Baddiel and Skinner / Lightning Seeds, Macarena-  Los Del Rio 

1997 Mmm Bop - Hanson, Barbie Girl - Aqua

1998 Believe - Cher,  C’est La Vie - Bewitched

The king though was Peter Andre. The reaction to Mysterious Girl was amazing. It was the only song that I ever saw get everyone up! There was a surge for the dance floor, particularly from boys who suddenly, because of the music, thought they had a six pack as they twisted their torso! 

I am sure many will now deny it! But I was there!

At the end of the disco, you had the slow song. 

There were three things to look out for;

1 Couples who were dating before the disco having a smooch to show everyone their love was ‘forever,’ or at least until the weekend.

2 Couples who had ‘got it on’ during the disco, and were now smooching to show their new found love.

3 Singles, and to be honest usually girls, who were crying with their friends as the boy they fancied had gone and tapped off with Sophie in 7R. This meant that days of passing love notes around in class had been wasted!

The vast majority of the disco goers sat on the benches around the hall for the last dance! Only a few were on the dance floor. For them, true love was not as exciting as fizzy cola bottles, ice pops and Space Raiders! 

As the disco came to an end, the car park would be filled with mummies and daddies in cars eager to hear the disco gossip. 

The children would make their way to the cars, sad that the disco had ended, but happy that another one would soon come along.

I was left to sweep up crushed ‘Space Raiders’ and prise half eaten chewits of the school hall floor.

I spoke to the Sassy Princess who says her Primary School still do Discos! 

The Prince of Tales heard this and said “When I am older I will go dressed in suit and bow tie!”

I won’t be taking him if he does!

Did you go to a school disco? Bad memories or ones you love to look back on?