Last Friday, Los Altos High School students laced up their skates and hit the gym floor for the annual Back to School dance. Clad in their class spirit wear — fire-themed for the freshmen, summer for the sophomores, jetlagged for the juniors and sparkles for the seniors — students danced and rollerskated outside of the 600s building, helping themselves to multi-colored leis and a miniature golf setup.

Los Altos High’s Associated Student Body voted in June 2025 to add roller skating to the dance. According to Vice President Vera Lin, the addition was made to help the dance stand out.

“[Our] hope was that skating would make the event more interactive and inclusive,” Lin said. “Not everyone loves to dance all night, so skating gives students another fun way to participate and have a memorable experience.”

To keep students safe, a portion of the outdoor space was blocked off with cones and fencing to keep skaters separated from the dance floor. Students interested in skating were also required to sign a waiver.

Students of all grades participated in the skate night, and even students with no experience could be trained by supervisors from the skating vendor to ensure everyone could participate.

Senior Allyson Lingo said being able to skate with her friends made the dance more exciting and fun.

“I like that they’re not just doing normal dances, they’re spicing it up,” Lingo said.

Even for those who chose not to skate, the dance was a success. Senior Ella Omura said that she would definitely participate in future events similar to the skate night.

“I thought it [the rollerskating] looked really cool,” Omura said. “I got to see a lot of people having fun.”