This year’s winter formal is ready for Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School students to break it down at the Hilton Portland Downtown. IBW’s Winter Formal is set for today and will start at 7 p.m. Many students are excitedly counting down the days, but it wasn’t always so enthusiastic.

The formal announcement of the dance, including the theme, location and date, was released on Jan. 16, 2026, and controversy followed soon after. 

The day after the IBW Leadership post, a concerned parent reached out to Lisa Klein-Wolf, IBW’s leadership teacher, voicing concerns about the rumored housing of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Hilton. While it was later confirmed by the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition (PIRC) that there were no actual ICE agents at the Hilton’s downtown location, discussion of safety for IBW students was immediately brought to attention.

These rumors and concerns were especially relevant because of the recent heightened uproar with ICE, following violence and aggression in Minneapolis, MN. ICE has also affected many other communities, using excessive force and a lack of due process in separating immigrant families throughout the United States. More information about the federal organization and current affairs can be found here. 

While the Hilton Hotels chain has housed ICE agents at certain locations, each hotel has its own contract with the federal government. The Hilton Portland Downtown is not affiliated with the government and is independently owned; therefore, it is not required to house or offer a discount to federal agents such as ICE. There are currently no agents housed at this location. However, concerns about overall safety led the school to adapt and redesign certain plans and measures regarding the dance. 

IBW is now offering two buses to and from the venue, leaving the school at 6:30 p.m. and returning at 10:30 p.m. More teachers and staff will be included to supervise and facilitate the event, as well as more parent volunteers.

Scott Burns, IBW’s 10th Grade Vice Principal, also visited the venue twice to check safety measures, review the evacuation plan and scope out where adult volunteers will be stationed. IBW Administration will also check in at the venue two hours before the dance begins

“We take them [concerns] very seriously. I mean, we basically paused everything once we got that parent concern, because what’s happening in our country…[is] super serious,” says Ayesha Coning the school principal and incident commander regarding the dance. 

Ticket sales had a week-and-a-half hiatus, while Coning, Maddie Pillsbury, a senior at IBW and one of the student event coordinators, and other event coordinators had numerous meetings over the four-day weekend following the end of the semester. 

The PIRC held discussions with Portland Public Schools’ (PPS) legal team and attorney to hone in on safety, discussions which were later conveyed to Coning. Meetings with affinity groups, such as BRIDGE (a student organization previously known as No Place for Hate) and the student government, were also held to gain input from both students and administrators to get a well-rounded opinion on the issue.

Regarding the re-planning, Pillsbury says, “I want to take as many perspectives into the planning and everything like that… we try to make it as inclusive as possible.”

“In the end, I feel confident that our venue will be safe and is safe based upon the attorney’s work and our PPS department of security, as well as our own evaluation of the site,” says Coning. 

However, some students are deciding to boycott (or not attend) the Winter Formal, regardless of these new implementations. Many students feel they don’t want to support an organization that aids these agents, regardless of whether or not it has a presence at the specific location where the dance is being held. 

“We support our students to exercise their civil rights if students want to boycott the dance for their own political beliefs and reasons. We support our students to do what they feel like is the right thing for them to do,” says Coning.

But even if students boycott the dance, the school can’t do much about it. The reservation for this venue was made at the end of last year’s school year, and was confirmed in mid-July. 

A big reason why the school still decided to stay with this certain venue was the result of the financial situation. Around $12,000 was already put down for the event, and $9,600 would be lost if they attempted to cancel the venue. After the pros and cons were discussed at many meetings, Coning had the last say. 

Winter formal is also the school’s biggest fundraiser, “I think something students don’t know is that when you buy a ticket, it doesn’t go towards the venue, it goes towards future dances or future events,” says Pillsbury. Winter Formal proceeds fund events like Homecoming and Ida B-Chella. 

While protesting or boycotting the dance might have good intentions, the power is not in the students’ pocket, but rather a responsibility of leadership and the IBW as a whole. 

Aside from extra safety precautions, IBW’s event coordinators are also planning for some new and fun additions: hiring the same DJ from Homecoming 2023, as well as a fry-bar and Italian soda stand. The theme, A Night in New York, will center around fun nightlife with a photo booth and some games to play. 

Students should be ready to have fun. “Winter formal is such a special night where our school community comes together and provides a safe and kind space for our kids to just dance and have a blast,” says Coning.

Pillsbury emphasises that no one’s questions or concerns should go unnoticed. “I hope they know that we do take it [safety and concerns] seriously and that it is really important to us.” 

For more information and questions regarding Winter Formal 2026, reach out to Klein-Wolf, Coning, Pillsbury or Georgia Fleshner by email.