Every year, seniors that are enrolled in a Polish school in the Chicagoland area have the opportunity to attend Studniówka. Studniówka (stu-dni-uw-ka) is a prom-like dance held at the end of January where students celebrate having been in Polish school for 12 years by having some fun before finals and graduation. This year, Polish prom was held on Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Drury Lane Theatre and Conference Center.

The day started off by students having a half day in Polish school. The whole time class was in session, no one was thinking about the lesson; they were thinking about what was going to go down later that night. Everyone was excited to be partying and dancing because of how older siblings and friends described it as the best night of their lives.

Everyone was supposed to meet up at the Crystal Grand Banquets at 4 p.m. for pictures. Students took pictures for about an hour until a limousine came. After piling in, off they were to the banquet hall. Arriving there around 5:30, guests had to wait another 30 minutes to get inside. Once inside, everyone started recognizing friends from other Polish schools.

As every Polish school made its entry inside and 700 teenagers were seated, it took another two hours for the announcements and congratulations to be done with and for dinner to start. Even though the food wasn’t the best, everyone ate it all since no one had eaten for hours. As soon as dinner was over, every girl took off her heels and ran to the dance floor for the part of the night everyone was waiting for: to dance. The DJ started playing Disco Polo songs, to which everyone was screaming the lyrics to. Most of the boys all gathered in the middle and started a mosh pit. They then hoisted themselves on friends’ shoulders and threw things around like it was a concert.

As the night came to an end, balloons were released from the ceiling. Once the balloons reached the hands of everyone, it sounded like fireworks. No one saved any balloons because they all ended up being popped. Fellow student Olivia Mitrega said, “This was an unforgettable night, I’ll never forget it,” after the DJ stopped playing. Then, it was time to go back home.

This night was one of the best experiences every student will remember from going to Polish school. All the years of attending Polish school and waiting for this night was worth going through all the tests that were taken.