- Sophomore Alyssa Guzman on prom.
Prom and my wedding day: those are the two nights that I have fantasized about since I was just a little girl. The idea of getting all dolled up for a night that’s sure to be remembered has always appealed to me. As someone who doesn’t like to get pretty in pink too often, it’s fun to go all out from time to time, and prom is the perfect opportunity to splurge on a dress and book an appointment at your favorite hair salon.
The problem with prom, though, is that the average high school student has to wait 18 years for this special night to roll around. The question is, why? Prom is an event for juniors and seniors, so why is it that juniors are hesitant about buying their ticket or planning an after party? In my opinion, they shouldn’t be.
Junior Lashawn Green doesn’t think that the juniors’ second thoughts are a result of being shy or lacking confidence, but rather, a result of something that most high school students struggle with – money.
“It’s like, we have prom next year, and you don’t really want to waste money this year,” he said.
There’s no denying that prom is costly. A couples ticket alone is over 100 dollars, and once that is paid for, there’s still the issue of what to wear, how to do your hair, transportation, and before and after parties.
With all the money that these upperclassmen are spending, they’re going to be sure to make the night worthwhile.
“[I would be annoyed if I saw a bunch of freshmen and sophomores at prom.] I feel like you gotta wait your turn. Prom is a one time thing, and it’s [supposed to be only] your senior year,” said Green.
However, Green is sadly mistaken, which is exactly what disappoints junior Alex Darville.
“It says junior senior prom, but it’s really only a senior prom. I think that juniors do want to go, but they [know that they] would feel left out.”
Believe me, I understand that prom is a night for seniors to all be together just one last time before graduation, but is having a handful of juniors or underclassmen there really going to hinder them from reminiscing over old memories and having a great time? My answer to that is: we all get along fine on homecoming!
Darville agrees.
“[The school] should advertise that juniors are allowed to go. As long as underclassmen have upperclassmen dates, I wouldn’t mind if they were there,” he said.
Prom is an appealing thing to all grade levels, which is why underclassmens’ presence is no longer an uncommon thing.
Freshman Chelsea Deleon claims that prom seems “cool,” and that she would love to go if she had an upperclassmen date.
“It would be fun,” she claimed, “upperclassmen wouldn’t stop me [from having fun].”
If you really think about it, prom is a lot more anticipated than homecoming, which is why underclassmen are so eager to try and attend. The question is, why?
Well, Niles West, I have a theory. Homecoming is in October, (but not for long – starting next year, homecoming is going to take place in September) and prom about six months away. With the cancellation of turnabout, this means that there is only one dance for underclassmen to attend without being ridiculed, so by the time prom rolls around, we hormonal teenagers are itching for a place to dance with each other.
The way I see it, there is only one solution: a winter formal.
So, upperclassmen, before you start bashing on underclassmen for crashing prom, try and see it from our perspective: juniors are allowed to go, therefore they should, but until that happens, anyone who’s not a senior, which is 3/4 of the school, has to wait until next year for a dance. Now, is that fair? I think not.
Jon Johnson • May 18, 2012 at 10:23 AM
I feel it’s for both juniors and seniors. I went to prom as a junior, and again as a senior. Most people can’t afford to do this, but I’m lucky enough to be able to do this. I will admit however, it did seem awkward as a junior at prom. Most people were talking about what they’d be doing in the next few weeks, whereas I’d only be able to talk about one year later opposed to a few weeks.
Nash • May 17, 2012 at 5:15 PM
I think that just because juniors and underclassmen are ALLOWED to go, doesn’t make it OK. It doesn’t change the fact that most seniors view prom as a way to get together one last time and come together as a class. Just because someone has the RIGHT to do something, doesn’t mean we all APPROVE of it. I think that prom is something that people should wait for and i think the argument that it’s too long of a wait is for the other side; that you’re SUPPOSED to wait for prom.
Rebecca Yun • May 18, 2012 at 9:13 AM
And this is where I beg to differ.
It doesn’t seem right for seniors to tell everyone else that prom should only be for the seniors. There’s a reason why it’s referred to as “junior senior” prom, not just “SENIOR” prom. Although I agree that prom should be a time for seniors to have fun together one last time before graduation, having a few underclassmen at prom won’t ruin everything. I’m positive that the freshmen won’t be ruining the night with their abnormally-large backpacks.
Prom should be for everyone, because who knows if some of us will ever get the chance to go next year? I think it’s fair that juniors and seniors ask whomever they want to prom, regardless of status (classwise). YOLO.
bennyt • May 18, 2012 at 7:40 PM
I with Nash here! Just because the underclassmen have the right to come doesn’t mean we have to accept it. This is our time. I think unless you have a senior date, you shouldn’t be there, but hey it is only what I think. 2012!!!