On April 23, 2026, Oratory freshmen and sophomores attended the annual semi-formal on the Spirit of New Jersey, taking a trip down the Hudson River. Mr. Martin, Mr. Beneventine, Mrs. Gribbin, Mr. Manna, Mrs. Pasnik, Mrs. Bajkowski, Mr. Seebode, Mr. McCrystal, Mr. Silvestri, Dr. Acquadro, and Ms. Beneventine also attended as chaperones for the trip. From the boat, many famous landmarks, such as the Empire State Building, the Freedom Tower, and the Statue of Liberty, were visible, giving students and their dates alike a very unique experience.
In total, 224 people attended the semi-formal. 135 were Rams, while the remaining 89 were girls. That means about 66% of boys came on the boat with a date, while almost 80% of all people on the boat, including both boys and girls, had a date. This wasn’t surprising, as the view was not something that you get to see every day. Leaving from the Liberty Landing Marina in Liberty State Park before 6 p.m., the Spirit of New Jersey followed a path down the Hudson, first starting near Manhattan. From there, the Freedom Tower stood out among the many buildings surrounding it. Though a little harder to spot, the Empire State Building could also be seen as the boat continued its journey, and the tall buildings of Jersey City could be spotted on the opposite side of the river.
Throughout the trip, there were many attractions for students and their dates to enjoy. Other than the beautiful view, the upper deck had bigger versions of popular games like Jenga and Connect 4, while the inside of the boat had drinks, a DJ, and a few tables with chess and checkers boards set up on them. At the bottom of the Spirit, dinner was served to the attendees. Rotisserie chicken, mac and cheese, and a make-your-own taco were some of the foods to choose from, while cookies and brownies were the desserts.
About halfway through the semi-formal, almost everyone was on the top deck. Most people, including me, would probably argue that the best part of the trip was when the boat passed right in front of the Statue of Liberty at sunset. It was a perfect opportunity to take pictures, and many students captured amazing shots of the view. After it had been long enough, the boat turned around, with a lit Manhattan coming into sight. Around 8:30 p.m., the top deck closed, and the Spirit of New Jersey returned to Liberty State Park. Rams and their dates got to spend a few minutes on the dance floor, eventually leading to the formation of a mosh pit, which both boys and girls participated in. By 10 p.m., the buses had returned to the Bain Building, and the semi-formal had officially ended.
The link below will take you to a Google Photos album with some photos I took while on the semi-formal:
