Every year, upperclassmen gather for prom: the yearly rite of passage that has, since about 1900, become a tradition at many schools across the country. Normally, this night’s planning begins around March, but it began a bit earlier this year. “We wanted to start planning for prom a little earlier than usual this time around,” senior and Social Committee co-head Dylan Wright said. “As a group, we decided that we wanted this year to turn out really well.”
In past years, prom has been revealed to the student body through the medium of a video but not this year. “We really wanted to make a video to reveal prom this year, but time didn’t permit,” Wright said. “I was hoping to see a fun video to reveal prom, given how good the one for homecoming was,” junior Tallulah Koenig said. “I’m really hoping for a fun prom to cap off the end of the school year,” Koenig said.
Last year, prom was held at Chez in downtown Chicago, a wedding venue that students enjoyed. “I loved the venue that last year’s Social Committee chose,” senior Louise Hall said. This year, prom is going to be at The Builder’s Building, also in downtown Chicago. The Builder’s Building is a historic landmark built in 1927, commonly used for weddings, parties, and any other formal event. “We chose this location because it seemed like the right size, within our budget, and not too far away,” Wright said.
Additionally, the Social Committee has been ordering decorations and finalizing their music choices in an effort to create a fun atmosphere for the dance. “We want this year to be really special,” Wright said, emphasizing their goal to create a memorable experience for the attendees. Prom is one of the seniors’ last high school experiences, and Wright wants it to “feel like an appreciation of everything (they’ve) done in the past 4 years.” For juniors, Prom is also serving as a positive note to end the year on. “I’m really hoping for a fun prom to cap off the end of the school year,” Koenig said. “Since this is going to be my first time attending, I don’t really know what to expect other than what I’ve heard from the current seniors,” she said.
Students have also been preparing for the event in their own ways, from coordinating outfits to organizing photos to remember the night with. “Getting ready with my friends is one of my favorite things about having school dances,” junior Alex Cruise said. “My friends and I always like to take a lot of photos beforehand and throughout the night – something that we love looking at later. Pretty often I look at my homecoming and formal photos from past years,” she said.
Teachers, along with Social Committee faculty advisor Ms. Shepard, have played a significant role in helping plan for the night. Chaperones will be at the Builder’s Building in the evening, trollies have been coordinated to take students to and from the venue, and a group photo at school has been planned.
“I’m sure Social Committee has done a great job with the dance this year,” Cruise said. “I’m so excited for the dance, and I really hope that it’ll be a great night full of fun.”
