Through the busyness of the beginning of the school year, complete with the start of fall sports, summer reading tests, and reacclimation to the school environment, Archmere students look forward to the annual MORP dance as a way to relieve stress and have fun with friends. MORP is the reverse of prom, both in the spelling of the name and the nature of the dance. Students arrive in their casual and crazy neon attire, from tie dye shirts and face glitter to colorful sports jerseys and construction suits. When they step into the SLC, their outfits glow under the black lights and their smiles spread wide.

Many new students use MORP as a way to bond with new friends, and returning students enjoy dancing with their longtime classmates. But over the past two years, the beginning of the school year tradition has been put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Archmere’s sophomores and freshmen had never had the opportunity to experience the quintessential start-of-the-year dance, as MORP was canceled in 2021 and postponed in 2022. Yet as mask mandates were lifted and COVID cases fell on the Archmere campus, there was hope for the return of this beloved dance in the spring of 2022. 

On Saturday April 2nd, Archmere students gathered together for the reboot of MORP XI. Students were eager to dress in neon and return maskless to the SLC for the cherished tradition. Senior Jocelyn Zavala-Garcia remarked on the return of MORP, saying, “I think it was much better than sophomore year”, the last time Zavala-Garcia and the rest of the class of 2022 had a MORP. The junior class got to experience MORP once before the outbreak of the pandemic, while for the 10th and 9th graders, MORP XI was their first taste of the famed Archmere tradition. 

Mr. Johnson and Archmere StuCo chose to move MORP XI from its originally scheduled date in the fall to the spring, after a potential rainout for the outdoor, COVID-friendly version of the dance. They made the tough decision to move the dance to the spring in hopes that it could be held inside, without masks as it was previously. Chris Treston ‘23 reflects on this decision, saying, “I think it was a good decision. The weather last time did not permit it, and we would have had to have it outside. Incredible decision making as always by our executive council members.”